


The Shadow Man

by yeojasamho



Series: Superpowers [5]
Category: DEAN (Korean Musician), EXO (Band), The Boyz (Korea Band), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Gen, Mutants, Superheroes, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2020-08-12 04:08:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20153902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeojasamho/pseuds/yeojasamho
Summary: They thought it was all over. That is until Sangyeon is once again haunted by the old enemy that threatens to break them all apart and possess him once again. Hyuk, Chanyeol, Mirae, and Jaehwan are faced with a new mission along with the rest of the boys; protecting their powerful telepath from the Shadow Man.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I couldn't resist. I did this in the midst of writing Hyuk's solo adventure. But I figured this was a team-fic that everyone would probably prefer. I made sure this time that this is a fic that, despite being part 5 of the Superpowers AU that I have, anyone can just jump in and get caught up in the events of before. So please expect lengthy narrations, but for a good reason! I hope you all like this one.

_ You thought you saw the last of me in the Bermuda Triangle, didn’t you?  _

_ You’re wrong.  _

_ I can never be killed.  _

_ Your mind is mine to control.  _

Cold whispers sent shivers down Lee Sangyeon’s spine while he slept one night. He was getting nightmares again, and it was making him toss and turn and his bed was shaking. His belongings were levitating and flying in a circular motion above him. The framed pictures were starting to burn through, including the polaroids taken of him during a birthday. The nightmares were making him send tremors throughout Summerland. 

Ino shot up from his bed wide awake, teleporting his way to the psychic’s room. Hyejung, Jinri, Sehun, and Jongdae followed. Kevin came out of his room, followed by the rest of the occupants and even coming from the guest rooms downstairs, Hyuk, Chanyeol, Jaehwan, and Mirae with Younghoon, Changmin, and Juyeon. They were all in their pajamas and jackets. “What’s happening? Is it Sangyeon?” Jongdae asked, and they nodded. 

“The last time this happened, the Bermuda mission happened” Chanyeol said. 

“I think we need to hurry up and wake him up before more things get destroyed” Jaehwan nervously looked up at the ceiling. “He’s really that powerful, isn’t he?” 

“Yeah. Sangyeon can practically do everything except time travel. How he hasn’t gone crazy by now is a big achievement in itself” Junhong explained. 

Jaehwan looked a little terrified. “He can kill all of us easily, that’s what you mean, right?” He asked. 

“Practically, if he wanted to, hyung” Kevin said. 

“It takes a village to calm him down” Sehun said quietly. 

“Everyone else go back to sleep except for Juyeon and Younghoon. Kevin, Junhong, go down to the lab and set up everything, we’ll bring him there again” Ino instructed with a sigh. “I was afraid this would happen again...and now it has.” 

“Hyung if I may suggest, Chanhee, Mirae, and I should come too,” Hyunjoon suddenly spoke. “I have a feeling this is not like before.” 

“Wait, why are the three of you coming?” Jinri looked confused. 

“Because Sangyeon can’t read our minds” Hyunjoon replied. “He can’t control the three of us” he explained. 

Ino nodded, almost knowingly. “Yes, I had a feeling you three may be needed” He glanced at the shapeshifter and Mirae, who looked confused. 

Younghoon took her hand and as Hyejung opened a portal inside the room, they ducked as a lightbulb shattered. Hyuk put some of them into a forcefield while they entered the bedroom. “So this is what it’s like to be on the other end of a mutant nightmare” Mirae said quietly. 

“Yeah, Juyeon, do you mind picking Sangyeon up? I can teleport all of us down to the lab from there” Ino instructed, and he transformed into metal, allowing himself to get hit by the objects that were floating around in a circle. 

A disk appeared in front of Hyunjoon. “We’ll meet you guys down at the lab” He suggested, gesturing for Chanhee, Younghoon, and Mirae to get in, the disk vanishing into thin air as Hyunjoon brought them out. A few seconds later, Juyeon and Ino appeared in the lab, where the six of them were waiting for him. 

Sangyeon was still tossing and turning, wriggling in Juyeon’s arms as he put the older boy down on the chair. Kevin and Younghoon immediately bound his wrists and ankles. Ino closed his eyes.  _ Sangyeon, Sangyeon _ , he was telepathically trying to get through, and groaned. “He’s shutting me out, I can’t get to him” He said. 

Hyunjoon tried to move, but instead felt himself held back. “I-I can’t either. He’s not letting me” He said. “Sangyeon!!” He yelled in an effort to wake the psychic up. 

“Sangyeon wake up!” Kevin shrieked, seeing the ribbons fall off his wrists and ankles. “Sangyeon!!” 

Younghoon removed his gloves and touched the telepath’s forehead. His eyes widened as he could see what Sangyeon was seeing. The white blob of a creature was back, followed by flashes of fire and destruction and a sight of the older boy in pain, a lot more pain than he had ever seen, to the extent that even he could feel it. Sangyeon froze and started to shake, his eyes shot open and Younghoon stepped back, quickly slipping on his gloves. 

Some of the lights blew their fuses, dimming the lab. Mirae quickly went up to her boyfriend. “Hey, hey, are you okay?” She asked, looking up at him. 

“Oh my god” Younghoon stared at Sangyeon, who had now calmed down, but was panting. “He’s having a nightmare about...the same thing again, it’s the thing again” He said quietly, looking shaken. 

The rest of them turned back to the telepath, who took the cup of water from Kevin and downed everything in one shot. He noticed everyone looking at him with concern and sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry” He buried his face in his hands in embarrassment. 

“This is the first time it’s happened in two years” Ino pointed out. 

“I know, I know. I just-That dark power, it’s coming again, and it’s growing, not in me, but somewhere out there,” Sangyeon said. “I hate my powers, I hate not being able to control them again, I hate this, people are going to get hurt again because of me.” 

“You can control them and you will” Ino assured him. “You’ve been practicing for so long, you are a lot stronger than you think up there” He gently pointed to his temple. “You’ve managed to stay without nightmares since the Bermuda mission until now, you can do this” He added. 

“We’ll be here to help you too” Mirae said quietly. 

Sangyeon looked up at them and nodded. “They will have to help you either way while I’m away with Sehun, Jongdae, Jinri, and Hyejung” Ino suddenly said, making them stare at him. 

“The five of you will be away?” Mirae looked surprised. 

“Yes, but I will discuss the details with the four of you in the morning” Ino told her, giving her a knowing look that meant it would be her, Hyuk, Chanyeol, and Jaehwan. He glanced over at Sangyeon. “You should get some sleep again, Junhong can give you a sedative to calm your mind” He suggested. 

“That would be the best idea ever” Sangyeon said, slowly getting up from the chair. Out of all of them, the biggest pressure was on him to be able to master each and every one of his abilities. He was well-aware of the consequences if he were to lose control. That was how powerful Lee Sangyeon was among them, and Ino seemed to be the only one who could match up to his strength. 

They were back in the sleeping quarters, having returned to normal as everyone else had gone back to their rooms, including the guest rooms to sleep. Juyeon went ahead to his old room, while Kevin bid them goodnight as well, leaving Mirae, Younghoon, Hyunjoon, Chanhee, Junhong, and Ino with Sangyeon in his room. “Drink this, it’ll knock you out and I placed a spell over it to give you a dreamless sleep” Hyunjoon gave him a vial full of blue liquid and a glass of water that he conjured up out of thin air. 

Sangyeon eagerly downed the vial’s contents, followed by the glass of water. “If I may, I’d like to try something, to help him sleep easier” Mirae suddenly said. She knelt down in front of the psychic. “It’s something I remembered doing years before in the sanitarium, I’d like to share it. Ready?” She asked him, and he nodded. 

“Anything, as long as I can sleep without these nightmares” Sangyeon replied. 

Hyunjoon gestured Chanhee to stand on the other side of Sangyeon’s bed. Younghoon stood by as well, as did Ino, who then told Junhong to go back to sleep as well. “I want you to relax, take a deep breath and close your eyes very slowly,” Mirae spoke as softly as possible, watching the telepath’s every move. “Those voices in your head? Those thoughts of other people that you can hear? Including my voice? Focus on my voice” She continued. “Focus on my voice, and my voice only” She watched Sangyeon start to relax in front of her, his shoulders drooping down. “You’re here with us, in Summerland, with people who love and care about you. Focus on my voice, and tune out those other voices. Think of a radio, and my voice is the only thing you should hear”, Mirae paused in between, studying how he was reacting. 

“Turn the dial down to tune down those voices, and take deep breaths,” She said. “Breathe deeply. Turn the dial down, and breathe deeply” Her voice grew softer, as Sangyeon started to lie back down. “Breathe deeply” She whispered, and he was fast asleep. 

Ino smiled and gave her an appreciative pat on the back. “How you and Hyunjoon manage to do it is amazing” He said. 

“It’s only this one time I managed to help” Mirae shrugged, but smiled back at him. “I think the sedative worked better.” 

“Okay, time to turn in, we’ll check in on him in the morning” The door opened and they quietly crept out. 

~ 

Hyuk, Chanyeol, Mirae, and Jaehwan, along with Younghoon, Juyeon, and Changmin, were the first ones to wake up the next day. The seven of them were still a little reluctant to think about staying in Summerland for a while, but Younghoon, Juyeon, and Mirae were the only other people who had an idea as to why they were called, and it wasn’t just because of Sangyeon. 

Kwon Hyuk was a telekinetic, a very powerful one, having discovered it when he was a kid. Over the last several years, he had developed telepathic abilities and tried to learn how to manage it by himself, just as how he was able to control his telekinesis. His abilities were strong enough to the extent where he could generate psionic shields and force fields around himself and everyone around him. He eventually joined Chanyeol, Mirae, and some of their colleagues at Summerland during the Seoul attack, which was the first time he was able to use his powers publicly. He was currently working as a producer under his best friend Woo Jiho’s company, TRBL Music but also worked under Bermuda Investigations as a private investigator. 

Park Chanyeol was a pyrokinetic, and could create and manipulate fire. With his abilities, he was able to withstand extreme heat, and can turn into a fire being that could even fly if he reached his peak power levels. He first discovered his abilities as a kid when he accidentally set fire to the stove but was unharmed. He worked as a waiter for his mother’s Italian restaurant, Viva Polo, but did occasional chef duties. 

Kim Jaehwan possessed superhuman senses. He could see, hear, and sense things from a great distance. Along with his enhanced senses, he also possessed superhuman speed, stamina, strength and invulnerability, easily absorbing shocks from a fall and even withstanding bullets. His abilities allowed him to track people down with ease. His mutant powers first manifested in middle school, during an attempt to make it to class on time and avoid getting caught by his teacher. A music major, Jaehwan decided to sign with Hyuk’s label after graduation but later on decided to stop so he could work under Bermuda Investigations full-time. He spent the majority of the year, after their agency was established after their dangerous encounter with the notorious Kang Family mob overseas, tracking down his girlfriend, Kang Jinyi, the only daughter of the mob who decided to help them, but ended up with tragic results as his further investigation ended in her death. 

Lee Mirae had the ability to enhance potential energy into kinetic energy, primarily light energy, but she has used this ability in combat, being a master in all forms of unarmed and armed combat, including the old fighting styles used centuries back. She discovered these abilities as a little girl, when after being bullied by some children at a playground, she turned her scrunchie into a projectile explosive. Along with manipulating energy, she later on developed a natural ability for card throwing, as well as being able to trap souls in the cards she threw and wielded, an ability that manifested through the Bermuda mission that came as a result of constant use of her powers at their peak. She was also gifted with an ability to generate static, a strong shield against telepaths, and an ability to neutralize touch-based powers. She owned and managed a music store with her adoptive brother and best friend Park Jihoon, whom she also lives with. 

The four of them found each other a year after an attack on Seoul by non-human entities, and naturally worked together to investigate a series of disappearances. This resulted in the surfacing of an ancient cult known as the Utopians, the leaders of which were revealed to be Mirae’s own adoptive parents. This also led to the revelation that Mirae’s time in a sanitarium before they took her in was mostly made up of mindless training in espionage and combat. The four of them were able to stop the cult, with Mirae ultimately killing her own adoptive parents in order to save everyone else. 

Chanyeol, Hyuk, and Mirae later on discovered that some of their colleagues survived the Seoul attack and were working as mutant mentors in a place called Summerland, to 12 more boys who had superhuman abilities. 

Oh Sehun, who possessed the gift of anemokinesis, controlling wind and air in its forms. This ability allowed him to bend the element into whatever he wished in combat, from air slicing to air bubbles underwater to even asphyxiation, sucking out oxygen from his enemies. His gift allowed him to be especially agile and even fly. 

Kim Junmyeon, the self-appointed leader from the mentor group, possessed an ability to manipulate water and any form of liquid. He first discovered his powers as a child when he accidentally fell into a deep pool and was presumed drowned, only to learn that he could breathe underwater and stay under for hours at a time. With his abilities, it allowed him to control a person’s movements by manipulating their blood and fluids within them. However, Junmyeon was required to leave upon learning that his father had passed on CEO duties of his company to him, and thus left Summerland to take on the reins of his family business. 

Kim Jongdae had the power to bend and control lightning, which in turn could cause fire. While his abilities rendered him dangerous, he channeled his powers in more useful forms, providing energy in generators in case Summerland experienced blackouts. 

Nam Hyejung had the ability to create portals that led from one place to another, a form of teleporting that could also enable her to displace objects and people whenever she closed a portal. She could only transport and create portals to places if she was able to visualize it. 

Song Jinri possessed the ability to generate plasma blasts which can either incapacitate an enemy or even kill them. Although in the days they were still training under what was first known as the Center of Paranormal Research, she had trouble maintaining her energy levels when channeling her powers. 

Jang Ino, the director of Summerland, possessed near-godlike abilities. From molecular and cellular manipulation to duplication, with each duplicate of himself being sentient, to being able to see everything that is happening all at once along with teleportation, telekinesis, and telepathy. He took over directorial duties when his father, Professor Inhwan Jang, was killed during the time of the Seoul attack in the enemy’s attempt to discover the diamond of the Tree of Life. Compared to the rest, Ino discovered his powers very late and struggled with controlling each of them for a time. 

Jaehwan for a time, bowed out when they were called to take on a big mission that they referred to as the Bermuda Mission, sending the three of them in separate places before they all joined in at the Bermuda Triangle to defeat Abbadon and Sammael, demons from hell that were wreaking havoc and possessing Sangyeon’s body into turning the world into a so-called Eden for him. The mission led to near-casualties but instilled severe trauma into Hyuk, Chanyeol, and Mirae for a year after it happened, which was also when they went up against the Kang Family mob. 

Among the twelve boys who were being mentored into controlling their powers, Younghoon, Juyeon, and Changmin were the ones who broke away to join the four of them and were now part of Bermuda Investigations. Kim Younghoon had the ability to absorb a person’s energy, life force, and in the case of mutants, their powers through skin-contact. His powers first manifested when he kissed his first love, Jeon Woori, and accidentally put her in a coma that made him run away, eventually being found by Ino. He also possessed flight and superhuman strength. 

Ji Changmin had the ability to control metal and magnetic fields around him. He could potentially turn any metal object into a weapon if he wished, and even manipulate the iron content in a person’s blood to turn it into whatever he liked. He often used his powers in combat, especially in a time where he needed it the most, and sensed any presence of metal in a place or a person. Whenever he and Younghoon were not working on cases, they helped Mirae out in managing the store. 

Lee Juyeon had the gift of transforming his body into indestructible metal. It was an ability that manifested when he was a teenager, and he was trying to save his younger brother from an oncoming tractor while staying in a traditional village on vacation. It was an ability that allowed him to withstand bullets whether plastic or metal, absorb shock, as well as increased strength and some added invulnerability. He worked at Viva Polo with Chanyeol as one of the chefs due to his knowledge of cooking, and was currently learning armed and unarmed combat under Mirae’s guidance. 

Out of the seven of them, only Hyuk, Chanyeol, Mirae, and Jaehwan were summoned, and they quietly went to Ino’s office. They saw Sehun, Jinri, Hyejung, and Jongdae already there, dressed as they were about to leave. “So, what’s up?” Hyuk asked. 

Ino got up from behind his desk and leaned against it as he looked at all of them. “There is an upcoming conference, a convention overseas In Zurich, about the involvement of people like us when it comes to disastrous events such as the Seoul attack and the Bermuda Triangle incident,” He explained. “I am attending this conference with the four of them, just so we can express our perspective as clearly as possible. Now, this conference is being made top secret, which is why you won’t see any news reports about this while this is happening,” He continued. 

“So, the four of us are going to stay here and look after them?” Chanyeol asked. 

“We were hoping you guys would. Some of them still need help, and we don’t know anyone else who could be more capable than you guys” Jinri said. 

“Your loved ones back home probably understand why you have to stay here for a bit while we’re away” Sehun added. 

The four of them exchanged looks and nodded. “We’ve got nothing else to do anyway. Jihoon’s doing great in managing the store too” Mirae muttered. 

“Yeah, everyone else seems to run things as usual whenever we’re not there” Chanyeol agreed. 

“I could use a little break from investigating and stay here too” Jaehwan spoke, making them smile at him. It was going to be his first time staying in Summerland again, and he knew he had to get to know everyone else that was around. “Babysitting doesn’t seem so bad” he shrugged. 

The rest of them turned to Hyuk, who nodded right away. “I could use a break from the investigating too” He said, and Mirae patted him on the shoulder. He had just recently uncovered one of the biggest cases surrounding the entertainment industry, and while the media, including the police wanted to acknowledge their efforts in solving this mystery, he preferred to stay anonymous. He had been dealing with a lot of mental stress after discovering memories that he’d rather not know about. 

Ino smiled. “I knew I could count on the four of you” He said. “So, there’s nothing else to do, we should be on our way. Junhong’s already finished filling the jet with fuel” He gestured for the other four. 

They followed them down to the hangar, where they saw Junhong, who was still wearing his pajamas, and coming out of the jet. “Good morning, all the bags are in here,” He quickly pointed out. Junhong was the only one in Summerland who was not a mutant, but he was known to be a genius, taken in by Professor Jang to work for them in the Center of Paranormal Research and was responsible for most of the gadgets and special features the vehicles of the Center and now Summerland, had. He was also the only one among his team of fellow scientists who survived the Seoul attack. 

He took in Kevin Moon, one of the twelve boys, as an assistant. Kevin also possessed enhanced senses, strength, stamina, and incredible intelligence. However, his skin was tinged a dark blue, which he later on knew how to control with a special serum he invented. He was one of the three foreigners in the new group of boys, coming all the way from Vancouver, Canada. Kevin decided to take refuge in Summerland to escape the bullying he experienced for his physical appearance. 

“So, this means we’ll see you in a week?” Chanyeol asked them. 

“Yeah, good luck managing all of them” Sehun gave them a cheeky grin, to which Chanyeol replied with a slap on the shoulder. 

“You make it sound like they’re a handful on a regular basis” Mirae grinned, while Jaehwan looked confused. “They’re not kids anymore” She added, partly to assure Jaehwan about it. 

“Yeah, but just watch out for Eric,” Jongdae said to him. “And Sunwoo. Sunwoo still tends to accidentally phase through stuff, so he sometimes falls through floors and ceilings if he’s not careful” He added. Jaehwan just nodded. 

“What does Eric do?” Jaehwan asked.

“Eric’s fast, and when I say fast, I mean fast” He explained. “You’d want to have him on your team if you want to play baseball, or soccer, or pretty much any sport there is” and Jaehwan looked amazed. 

“Anything else we should know?” Hyuk asked. 

“Yes, try not to engage in a lot of PDA with Younghoon, Mirae,” Jinri teased and Mirae shook her head. “And look out for Jacob for me. He’s somehow not convinced I should be on this trip” She added. 

“I still think you shouldn’t go” A soft voice was heard, echoing throughout the hangar with the doors that Junhong was trying to open. To Jaehwan’s amazement, a boy with enormous white wings swooped inside and landed on the floor on his feet. Jacob Bae possessed the ability of flight with his wings. His wings also had some use in combat, as he had sharp feathers that could pierce through an object or creature. Half the time, he struggled with keeping his wings intact. He was also another one of the foreign mutants, coming from Toronto, Canada. Jacob was among those who assisted Hyuk in his case, along with Kevin. 

He pouted at the girl and she wrapped her arms around him. Jacob and Jinri first started dating during the time of the Bermuda Mission but broke up for a short while before getting back together again. 

“Easy there, my angel” Jinri smiled. “I’ll come back to you in a week” She assured him. “I’ll be fine, I promise. Nothing’s going to happen while we’re there.” 

Jacob nodded and glanced over at Ino, who gave him an assuring nod. “We’ll be fine, you don’t have to worry about us” He explained. 

“Well, if Ino hyung says you’ll be fine, I can’t argue” Jacob nodded and gave her a kiss before pulling away. “Just when we got back together you have to leave” he muttered. 

“I know, but I’ll come back to you in a week, and we can call each other up” She said, and the two of them kissed again until Hyejung had to pull her away. “Well, we have to go, see you guys soon” She waved at the rest of them before running up the stairs inside the jet. 

They waved at them as the doors closed, spotting Hyejung and Sehun in the very front, piloting the jet. The aircraft began to move and a few minutes later it went up into the air and out of sight. “Who else is awake?” Chanyeol turned to the winged boy. 

“Just me, and Younghoon, Juyeon, and Changmin. Kevin’s probably up too, but he’s down at the lab” Jacob replied. “So, it’s just the four of you with us, isn’t it?” He smiled. They nodded. “Make yourselves comfortable, I guess.”    
  


“Nothing’s happening to Sangyeon?” Chanyeol asked him. 

“I don’t think so,” Jacob shrugged. “But I’m glad the four of you are here. We personally wouldn’t know how to deal with something like this.” 

Hyuk patted the winged boy on the shoulder. “Honestly, I’m kind of glad too. At least nothing else is in need of being discovered” He said, and they walked back inside the building. 

~ 

They spent the morning in the cafeteria. Although they managed to form their own little groups of friends within the place, the four of them seemed to stay together. They sat down in front of the moving line of boats carrying dishes, while a coffee pot floated towards Hyuk and poured coffee into his cup. “Does anyone else want coffee?” He asked them, and they slid their cups forward. The coffee pot poured some into each cup, and floated away back to the table where it was. 

Jaehwan was still trying to adjust to his surroundings again. He didn’t know everyone as well as Chanyeol, Hyuk, and Mirae did, but he was determined to change that now. He was beginning to regret not going on the Bermuda mission, but then he realized that he might’ve suffered the same traumatic episodes as the three of them had he gone. The three of them had already told him about what happened, from Sangyeon’s possession to Jaehyun’s death and eventual resurrection. 

Lee Sangyeon was one very powerful mutant, the only one whose power levels matched up to Ino’s. He was also a psychic and telekinetic, but also had the power to teleport himself to various places nearby as well as project himself into a space between fantasy and reality, called the astral plane. His powers also enabled him to create forcefields, manipulate a person’s memories and as he had discovered, alter his reality and can place anyone in a different kind of time and space. 

Lee Jaehyun, or as some of them called him, Hyunjae, had the ability to generate optic blasts, or energy beams from his eyes. The beams he delivered were enough to penetrate surfaces or even knock objects or other living things down. When Hyuk, Chanyeol, and Mirae first arrived in Summerland, he constantly had trouble trying to see without damaging his surroundings and had to wear special red-tinted sunglasses to shield his eyes. His powers manifested when he was in high school, nearly destroying the bathroom door of the cubicle he was in after experiencing foggy eyesight. However, the longer he practiced his powers in Summerland, the more he was able to control the beams at will, and no longer had to wear sunglasses. He died from blood loss during the Bermuda mission, but Hyunjoon was able to resurrect him and thus he was brought back to life. 

Younghoon got up from his seat and sat next to Mirae, immediately wrapping an arm around her shoulders while he helped himself to the remainder of his sandwich. Juyeon and Changmin joined them as well, seating themselves next to Chanyeol. “So they left already?” Changmin asked them. 

“Yeah, they just took off, we’ll be here for a while. Think you guys can stay too?” Chanyeol glanced at the two younger boys. 

“Yeah, definitely!” The two of them nodded. 

“What about you, Younghoon?” Jaehwan asked him. 

“Wherever Mirae is, I’ll be there too” He simply replied, and she smiled at him. 

“It’s been a while since we stayed here” Juyeon shrugged, looking around with a small smile. “How long has it been? Over a year?” He asked. 

“It hasn’t been a whole year yet” Changmin pointed out, nudging the taller boy and finishing the rest of his fried rice. “Give or take, a little over six months? Seven months?” He said. 

The rest of them laughed in amusement at their conversation. “So, what are we going to do today?” Hyuk asked them, putting down his now empty cup. He glanced at all of them. 

“Well, Jacob just said we can just make ourselves at home” Jaehwan shrugged. “I guess that’s what I’ll do. Relax around here. Hyunjoon’s been telling us to stay here for a bit for some healing before anyway” He recalled. 

Heo Hyunjoon was among the youngest boys in Summerland, alongside Sunwoo and Eric. He had the ability to teleport through time and space with the use of disks that he summoned at will. Unlike Ino and Sangyeon, Hyunjoon could teleport literally anywhere and everywhere he chose, including the astral plane. He was also what many might refer to as a wizard, warlock, or sorcerer, being able to perform a wide variety of spells as well as scry. His mutant and sorcerer abilities manifested as a baby, when the demon Abbadon kidnapped him from his parents and raised him as his own, teaching him black magic. As Hyunjoon grew older, he began to widen his knowledge of magic by learning white magic as well, and could now cast spells, charms, hexes, and curses including performing minor healing and necromancy. Like Mirae, his mind is shielded from telepaths, even telepaths as powerful as Ino and Sangyeon but unlike her, he can lower his shields whenever he chose. 

“You are right” Chanyeol nodded upon remembering. “We could use a little vacation, and it might be fun, the seven of us, to stay here for a while,” He pointed out with a shrug. “The city’s given us a lot of memories we’d rather forget” and the rest of them nodded. 

“I’ll just give Jihoon a call. He probably already knows what to do, but I’ll check on him” Mirae finished her food and got up. Younghoon patted her back and watched her clean up her place and leave the room. 

“I’ll call Sungyoung later, and my parents to let them know where I’ll be staying. They don’t need me to help around at the moment anyway” Chanyeol shrugged while he ate. “I’ll let them know Juyeon’s with me too so they don’t wonder why he’s not there.” 

“Really? Not even Taeil hyung?” Juyeon asked curiously. 

The pyrokinetic shook his head. “Nope. Mom and dad hired some new waiters, and for sure my sister’s training them. She’s got time in between her schedules anyway, and my brother-in-law’s away on a business trip” He explained. “Taeil’s got everything under control now too.” 

“What about you? Giving them a call?” Hyuk asked Jaehwan. 

“I will later. But they’ll understand if I decide to stay away longer,” Jaehwan replied quietly. “They do know I’m with you guys so they know things are okay” He said, finishing his food. He got up, cleaned his place and left the room as well, the mood between them being quiet once more. 

~ 

Sangyeon had woken up. He was staring at the ceiling, feeling a little more rested than the night before. The sedative given to him had worked, and so did Mirae lulling him to sleep. But he was still very much disturbed by what he had seen in his dreams. That creature, that demon, was haunting him again, long after they had defeated him in the Bermuda Triangle. 

He forced himself out of bed, getting ready for what the day may bring them. He knew what Ino was going to do today. He knew they were leaving for the secret conference, and he knew that Hyuk, Chanyeol, Jaehwan, and Mirae were staying behind to keep watch over them. While he could argue that they didn’t need babysitting, he understood Ino’s reasons for asking them to, and he understood their reasons for staying. 

Some of them needed a little change in scenery, a more peaceful one after getting swept into the chaos of the mysteries they were to solve. Sangyeon couldn’t even begin to imagine the pain and hardships they faced, reading most of their thoughts except Mirae’s. It seemed like the four of them went into very dark places, and it made him wonder how they managed to find the strength to keep living despite everything they’ve seen, heard, and experienced. It was yet another reminder of how lives of people like them, people with superhuman abilities, had a certain responsibility even if everyone else in the world didn’t expect anything nor want anything from them. 

He also knew that Younghoon, Juyeon, and Changmin were also swept up in that same chaos. Jinri, Jacob, Haknyeon, Kevin, Hyunjoon, and Chanhee were as well. It was only him, Sunwoo, Jaehyun, and Eric who had yet to experience the kind of madness that occurred out there in the city. Even then, it scared him, but it scared him because he was afraid of what he was capable of. Sangyeon didn’t like being like this, someone in fear of losing control. He hated feeling this vulnerable. 

Throughout all of these events, Sangyeon knew that he had to just get up and get ready. He showered and got dressed, heading down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Jaehyun, Younghoon, and Juyeon were sitting together, eating snacks and catching up. Eric was talking animatedly to Kevin, Jacob, and Sunwoo, while Chanhee was sitting alone in front of the row of boats. 

Eric Sohn was the youngest from all of them, and possessed superhuman speed. Like Kevin and Jacob, he came from overseas, from Los Angeles. His abilities first manifested when he was 10 years old, during a practice baseball game, when he was about to catch a flying baseball. Eric’s speed granted him enhanced strength due to his incredible agility, and resistance to friction. He struggled with keeping his powers under control whenever he was called for sports in high school. 

Kim Sunwoo was the second youngest and had the gift of phasing through solid matter. He first discovered this when he was 12 years old, during a soccer game with his friends in school. A ball was flying towards his direction and instead of hitting him on the head, it went through him instead. Even until now, Sunwoo sometimes struggled with his intangibility, and has accidentally phased through floors and ceilings. If in an emergency, Sunwoo was able to get other people to phase through objects and rooms as well just by touching them and holding on to them. His powers allowed him to remain unharmed as he could simply phase through anything that might wound or kill him. 

Choi Chanhee was what everyone called a shapeshifter, and could transform into anyone, from the physical appearance as well as the voice, making him impossible to detect in a normal setting. Blue skin, and icy blonde hair made up his true form. His powers manifested at birth, when his skin and hair would change from being pale to blue. His parents denied his existence to other people when they witnessed this, and raised him in secret until Ino found him and invited him to stay in Summerland. His parents willingly agreed to let Ino take him in, but had never contacted him since. Like Hyunjoon and Mirae, Chanhee’s mind was unreadable by Ino, Sangyeon, and Hyuk, due to his shapeshifting abilities and was what Junhong referred to as grey matter. 

“Good morning to you, hyung. Were you able to sleep well?” Chanhee greeted him cheerfully and patted the seat nearby for the psychic to sit down. 

“Good morning, and yes I did sleep well” Sangyeon nodded, helping himself to the seared tuna and salad that came out from the conveyer belt of boats. “Did everyone else sleep well?” He asked. 

“Well, I did, again at least, after your little nightmare, I don’t know about everyone else” Chanhee replied. He glanced at the psychic. “I sense that you’re still a little shaken.” 

Sangyeon nodded slightly. “Yeah, I have to admit that I am. Ino hyung said it’s the first time in two years that it’s happened again, and personally I don’t have a good feeling about it” He picked at his salad. 

“Try not to worry about it too much. If anything happens, we’re all here. We’ve got Hyuk hyung, Chanyeol hyung, Jaehwan hyung, Mirae noona” Chanhee assured him. “They’ll know what to do, admittedly better than the rest of us.” 

“You are right about that” Sangyeon nodded. “They do know what to do. If anyone needs me, I might be with Junhong, running tests on myself again just to make sure” He said. 

“Got it” The shapeshifter did a salute and went back to eating. 

Sangyeon stared at his food, already thinking about what could happen while he was at the lab. He didn’t want to think of what he might find in his head again, but all he wanted was just to be okay and for what he saw to remain a dream. 

~ 

Everyone seemed to assemble in the living area of the place. Hyuk, Chanyeol, Jaehwan, and Mirae stood in front of the rest of the boys. “Well, I’m sure you know, Ino oppa, Jinri, Hyejung, Sehun, and Jongdae aren’t here. They went to a secret conference in Zurich about the involvement of our kind when it comes to the things we’ve tried to do years ago,” Mirae began. “They left us in charge, so if there’s anything anyone of you need, or if you need help in training, don’t hesitate to come to us.” 

“Right, we’ll be staying here for a while too, in case you’re all wondering” Chanyeol added. “At least until… Ino hyung gets back?” He glanced at the three of them, and they nodded. “Yeah, until Ino hyung gets back” He finished. 

“In the meantime,” Hyuk said brightly. “I think you guys haven’t really met Jaehwan yet?” He gestured to the tracker, who looked a little flustered. The boys shook their heads. “Anyway, this is Jaehwan” He said, and they laughed. 

“So, you guys can go back to whatever you’re doing. If anyone needs me, I’ll be doing some sparring in the gym” Mirae said. 

“Me too, I’ll be there” Juyeon quickly raised his hand. 

“So will I” Younghoon said. 

“Noona, you promised you’d help train me too” Kevin pointed out with a slight pout. 

“Then join us” Younghoon said. Kevin quietly cheered in his place. 

“So, how about taking a crack at the Danger Room again?” Hyuk suggested, and they eagerly nodded. “I understand some of you haven’t been able to come with us back during those cases we did, so maybe we can change that here,” He said. “Jaehyun, Sunwoo, Eric, and Sangyeon?” He glanced at the four boys. 

“Yes! Finally!” Jaehyun cheered. 

“Well, I was thinking I could run through some tests with Junhong, but this might be a lot better” Sangyeon spoke. At least in case he lost control, he’d be able to remind himself that this was going to be a simulation. 

Hyuk knew what he was thinking. “Don’t worry, we’ll all be there.” 

Mirae seemed to have sensed it as well. “Yeah, we’ll be there in the Danger Room with you” She assured him. “Maybe just the four of them will take a shot with us at the simulations” She said. “The rest of you can do your individual training if you can” She suggested. 

“So, when can the four of you get ready?” Chanyeol asked them. 

“We can go in…” Jaehyun, Eric, Sunwoo, and Sangyeon glanced at each other. “Now would be a good time” They collectively said. 

“Okay then, come with us to the Danger Room” Hyuk began to lead the way while the rest of the boys scattered. Juyeon and Younghoon however, followed them instead. As they arrived at the doors of the Danger Room, Junhong was already at the booth. 

“You guys decided to use this at a very good time” Junhong declared from the booth above, looking pleased with himself. The ten of them went inside the giant arena-like room, filled with several cameras and simulators as well as a control panel near the doors, indicating what kind of simulation there was. “Because I made some improvements! Added more simulations and more levels of difficulty, look at the panel” He gestured to the array of buttons and switches. 

They approached the panel, reading out the levels of difficulty there were. “Cosmic arena? What’s that one?” Jaehwan asked curiously. 

“Think of gladiators, but in space!” Junhong declared. 

“Why is my name at the very top of the panel? Am I a level of difficulty?” Mirae looked up at him with a brow raised. 

Junhong grinned sheepishly. “In the Danger Room, yes you are. Yours is the hardest one” He answered. 

“No wonder” Jaehyun commented, making them laugh. 

She gave Junhong a look. “I feel like even I am going to have a hard time at that level” She said. Younghoon laughed and held her hand while they kept reading the panel. 

“Temple of Doom?” Jaehwan looked astounded at the name. “Are we going to run away from giant boulders or something?” He asked. 

“You never know, Jaehwan!” Junhong said excitedly. “So, what’s it gonna be?” 

“We’ll leave that decision to the four of you” Chanyeol said to Sangyeon. 

“Hyung, this is so exciting!” Eric looked at every option. “I kind of want… the Frozen Fortress, what do you guys want?” He looked at the three. 

“Frozen Fortress sounds good” Sangyeon nodded, so did Jaehyun and Sunwoo. 

“Got it!” Junhong beamed. 

“I think both of you should wait up in the booth” Chanyeol turned to Juyeon and Younghoon. 

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea” Mirae agreed. She gave her boyfriend a tender kiss and he smiled upon pulling away, squeezing her hand one more time before heading up to the control booth with Juyeon. She turned to the four boys. “Ready?” 

Eric, Sunwoo, Sangyeon, and Jaehyun were looking at them nervously, but nodded. She gestured them to go to the center of the room. “We can do this” Sangyeon assured them. 

“Frozen Fortress sequence, easy mode, initializing” Junhong announced, and as Hyuk, Chanyeol, Mirae, and Jaehwan stood behind them, the surroundings began to change. 


	2. Chapter 2

Cold wind swept up inside the Danger Room as the surroundings began to change. Ice began to appear from every direction, forming towers and pillars and walls that seemed to separate everyone from each other. The ice towers and pillars kept forming along with the walls until everything looked like the inside of a castle.

Sunwoo, Eric, Sangyeon, and Jaehyun were too surprised to act, stumbling back when the walls formed around them. “This is the easy mode, right?” Chanyeol asked loudly, looking at everything with a confused expression on his face. 

“Junhong said it was, and we didn’t press anything else” Hyuk replied. 

“Now what do we do?” Jaehyun called out. He held on to one of the pillars when the floor covered itself in ice. Mirae appeared and helped him stand, her staff already extended. 

“I’d say be prepared and maybe wait for something to come” She said. 

“Like what?” Jaehyun asked. 

“We won’t know that until we see it” Mirae said, and he nodded, holding on to her. “You should probably be prepared for whatever might come, look around you, look above and below” She advised him. 

“Whoa!” Sunwoo fell through a wall, falling over in front of Jaehwan. “This is so realistic!” He exclaimed. 

Jaehwan helped him up, nearly failing as the younger boy’s wrist only seemed to go through his hand. He was nearly slipping from the floor as well. “It’s a bit too icy in here, isn’t it?” He said. 

“Yes, yes it is” Chanyeol nodded, looking out for Eric, who zoomed away in time when the pillars came up. “Watch yourself!” He warned the speedster, who nearly slipped and fell when he stopped. 

Eric was taken by surprise at the sudden warning and skidded to a halt. “This is so realistic!” He commented. “Awesome!” His expression turned into that of amazement. 

“Great” Chanyeol said, looking up. “If I light up, I’m going to melt this whole place down.” 

Sangyeon looked around, noticing how smoke was coming from every breath he made. He couldn’t fathom how Junhong was able to come up with a room like this. It was as if they were being transported away from Summerland and into a place they didn’t know actually existed. He remembered what they had mentioned before, that their communal training room on what was the Center of Paranormal Research being turned into a vortex manipulator. 

“Sangyeon!” Hyuk called out. 

“Sangyeon, where are you?” Mirae called out as well. 

“Hyung! Where are you?” Jaehyun’s voice was also heard. “Hyung!” 

“Hyung! I’m just over..here” Sangyeon replied, his voice lowering as he tried to figure out where he was and where everyone else was. “This is like a maze…” He said, trying to see through the frozen walls. 

All of them were beginning to shiver from the cold. “By the time we’re done with this sequence, we might get sick” Sunwoo rubbed his arms. “Eric! What made you pick this?! It’s already cold outside!” He groaned. “..This reminds me of... “ 

“Reminds you of what?” Jaehwan asked. 

“The astral plane…” Sunwoo revealed. “This reminds me of the astral plane...back in the Bermuda...mission…” He said quietly. The thought of going back there seemed to disturb him, and the tracker sensed it. 

Jaehwan nodded, and he looked up. He could hear footsteps from above, and from all around them. The footsteps were growing louder, and the ice chandelier that was above them rattled. “I think we should run away now, at least go to another room or something because something is coming for us” He said. 

“Okay then, to the next room? Downstairs?” Sunwoo asked nervously. 

Jaehwan tried to listen carefully. “Upstairs” He answered. 

The icy wall next to them shattered, but Sunwoo grabbed Jaehwan’s wrist in time for the shards of ice to go through them. Jaehwan looked amazed at how everything didn’t hit them. “Let’s go, hyung!” He said, pulling the older boy through the walls and towards the spiral ice staircase. 

“Everyone upstairs!!” Chanyeol called out, but before he knew it, they were already on the second level of the fortress. “Hold on, Eric” He was amazed. 

“What? I just did as you said” Eric replied. The pyrokinetic nodded, having understood, but suddenly felt a pang of nausea, and looked away in case he did throw up. “The feeling will pass, it happens to people I take off with” He said, a little unsure of how he said it. They saw Jaehwan and Sunwoo standing by. 

“What’s going on?” Chanyeol immediately spotted the tracker. 

“Footsteps, heavy sounding, and I’m pretty sure whatever it is, is planning on destroying this place with us in it” Jaehwan replied. He turned to the speedster. “You really are fast, and you can drag Chanyeol hyung along with you too, wow” He said. 

Eric shrugged. “Sangyeon hyung? What about him?” He suddenly asked. 

“He’s down there somewhere, I guess” Chanyeol looked at the floor. 

Out of thin air, Sangyeon materialized. “Whew, I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to go, and I heard you guys” He let out a sigh of relief. “Jaehyun, Mirae noona, Hyuk hyung are still downstairs” He said. 

“Then someone get them” Chanyeol instructed. 

“I’ll do it!” Eric zoomed past them. Chanyeol and Jaehwan looked amazed at his speed. The speedster zoomed past all the ice-covered hallways for a sign of the three. 

~ 

Juyeon and Younghoon were watching from the control booth along with Junhong. The three of them looked amazed at the realistic simulation. They could see everything from a higher perspective. “Those icicles are about to fall” Juyeon noticed the shards of ice above the heads of Jaehyun and Mirae, the two of them having went further down to escape. 

“Eric won’t be able to catch them in time” Younghoon added, looking alarmed. Mirae and Jaehyun were still looking out for anything that would come at them from their surroundings. “Mirae, run” He muttered. 

They saw Jaehyun blast off the icicles that fell off the ceiling, making them shatter and fall over their heads. “He thinks fast” Junhong said. “He’s improved a lot over time” He added. He looked up to where the rest were. Hyuk made some more shards of ice shatter from where he was, but he seemed to be whisked away by a speeding Eric, who carried him up to the second floor. 

“I think she’s the one” Younghoon suddenly muttered, his stare softening as he watched. His words made the two boys look at him. 

“One? What do you mean the one?” Juyeon asked, confused. 

Upon realizing what he said, Younghoon turned a light shade of pink. He shook his head. “Nothing, nothing, I was just thinking that she’s the one… who can protect Jaehyun down there” He tried to explain. 

Junhong raised a brow. “I don’t think that’s what you meant” He said. 

“Of course it’s what I meant” Younghoon said. “Hyung, that really is what I meant” He tried to insist. 

It didn’t convince the older boy. Junhong shook his head and looked back at what was happening on the screen. “Come on, you might as well say it,” He prodded, while watching what was going on. “What did you mean by she’s the one..” 

Younghoon sighed and shook his head. “I think Mirae is the one… the one… for me…” He said. 

Junhong and Juyeon looked at him like he said something that was out of this world. “...Yeah, we kind of already knew that, Younghoon” Junhong pointed out. “I mean it was obvious since the first time you saw her that she’d be…the one you’d want to be with,” He said. “What’s with that all of a sudden?” 

“Hyung…” Juyeon started to realize something. “Are you thinking of taking things… to the next level?” He asked. 

“The next level?” Younghoon asked. “Mirae and I can sleep in the same bed, we’ve always done that, if that’s what you mean” He added. 

“No, not that, but are you already thinking of… proposing?” Juyeon said, his voice lowering even more. Junhong even tilted his head to look back at them, trying to figure out what he was going to say. 

Younghoon stared at the two of them. He talked about that with Mirae while they were away on a vacation. He knew she was in no rush to get married, and he knew very well the reasons why. “Well… of course I’m thinking of proposing” He blurted out. 

Big smiles appeared on the faces of the two boys. Juyeon patted his shoulders in excitement. “When are you going to do it? Are you going to surprise her?” Junhong asked, glancing over at them while he observed the rest. 

“Eyy, I’m not proposing now!” Younghoon said, giving them weird looks. “Not now, maybe soon, but not now, alright?” He explained. 

“I understand. Both of you are already pretty married anyway, I won’t be surprised when you two are still together after a decade and have yet to walk down the aisle” Junhong pointed out. 

“Thank you” Younghoon said. He knew it was true. 

The door of the control booth opened and in came Changmin, followed by Chanhee. The two of them looked at what was happening in the simulation in awe. “What is that? Are they trapped in an ice castle?! That looks so cool” The metal-bender said, eyes still wide at the sight of the big chunks of ice hovering over the figures of Mirae and Jaehyun, who were now fighting through the falling icicles. Jaehyun blasted each and every shard of ice that came towards them, his blasts now controlled enough so as not to destroy anything completely. 

“Yeah, frozen fortress, easy mode” Junhong explained, shifting the rest of his focus back into the room. 

“Hyunjae hyung’s doing very well, Eric too” Chanhee noticed. “Can we have a go next?” He asked. “That seems so fun. After going with Hyuk hyung last time, I think I got the hang of this.” 

“On your own or with people?” Changmin teased. 

“With people! I don’t want what happened to Mirae noona to happen to me” The shapeshifter argued. 

“Not even if you’d be paid a lot of money afterwards?” Younghoon looked smug. 

“Not even then! I don’t think my healing abilities are like hers!” 

~ 

Jaehyun was yelling as they ran through the room, one arm linked to Mirae’s as she blocked the other shards of ice that were about to hit the two of them while he blasted them off. “You’re doing great! Keep it going!” She said. 

“These really aren’t going to kill us, right?” He sounded worried as they skidded towards the staircase. 

“No, but even so, the objective is to not get yourself hurt in any way, not even when I’m with you” Mirae pulled him along, the two of them trying not to slip as they hurried up the icy staircase. “Where are the others?” She said, helping him to his feet. 

Jaehyun heard some more thuds coming from the room at the very end of the enormous hallway. “Probably over there!” He said, and the two of them stumbled, sliding down the hall and stopping with a thud against a thick wall made out of ice. They saw a giant robot, shooting fire at Chanyeol, who had turned into a fire being. “Noona! What do we do with that?!” He said, as they got up to their feet. 

Chanyeol dodged getting caught by the robot, while Sangyeon and Eric were thrown off easily, Hyuk catching them in time, as did Sunwoo, the two of them landing unharmed. Jaehwan was doing his best not to get caught as well while he tried to punch through one leg and then the other. “We take it down” Mirae suggested, and as if they both knew what the other was thinking, they charged towards the robot, Jaehyun blasting it with all his strength while Mirae helped Jaehwan hit it with her staff, her eyes already glowing red as she did so. 

Sangyeon eyed the robot they were fighting, the robot seemingly changing itself to whatever power was hitting it. He began to concentrate, while Sunwoo and Eric kept leading and pushing Jaehwan, Mirae, and Jaehyun away from the robot’s hits. 

_ Sangyeon, Lee Sangyeon _ , he suddenly heard a whisper

“No, no, not again” Sangyeon shut his eyes, fear and panic coming over him. 

_ Sangyeon, you can’t keep away from me forever,  _ the whisper grew louder. 

“No, no, no, no, no” The psychic knelt down, clutching his head. 

“Sangyeon, are you okay?” Hyuk noticed him immediately in the midst of the fighting. Looking at the younger boy, he could suddenly see and hear what he was hearing. “Sangyeon” He called him again. “Sangyeon, fight it” He said. 

_ You can’t keep me away from you forever, Sangyeon, or you will be like Joowon the Bad Kid  _

“NO!” Sangyeon yelled, and to everyone’s surprise, the robot in front of them disintegrated into a pile of dust. 

“Ending, frozen fortress sequence easy mode” Junhong’s voice suddenly came from above, and the surroundings changed into that of the inside of the Danger Room again. 

The rest of them were still staring at the pile of dust in the middle of the room, and then at Sangyeon, who looked completely shocked by what just happened. “I-I-I’m sorry” He said quietly, and fled the Danger Room. They looked up and saw Junhong, Younghoon, Juyeon, Chanhee, and Changmin flee the control booth as well, and they took it as a signal to follow the psychic. 

“What just happened?” Jaehwan looked just as shocked. “And that robot was actually real!” He said, looking back at the Danger Room, the door of which was left open. 

“Eric, call Hyunjoon, tell him to go down to the lab, now” Hyuk instructed, and the younger boy sped off. He sensed where Sangyeon was going, and they needed to act fast and make sure he was okay. 

They ran past the cafeteria, where the rest of the boys spotted them. “Hey, we heard a thud, is something wrong?” Kevin suddenly peeked out. 

“Go down to the lab Kevin, Sangyeon hyung’s going through it again” Jaehyun called out in response, and the younger boy followed. 

“This is going to make us go back into the astral plane, I can feel it” Sunwoo sighed, following along with them. 

“If we need to, we’ll have to do it” Changmin said, and they went down the stairs and towards the lab, where Sangyeon was, crouched in a corner, with Eric, Junhong and Hyunjoon standing by him. “Hyung?” He said carefully as they walked inside. 

“Hyung, are you alright?” Younghoon asked. 

“I-I’m not fine” Sangyeon reluctantly admitted. He slowly looked up at them. “I don’t know why it’s coming back, it’s coming for me, and I don’t know how to stop it” He said shakily, fear evident in his tone. 

“Hyung, you’ve protected yourself for two years now, you can do it again” Sunwoo encouraged the older boy. 

“We can run some tests, see how it’s coming back,” Kevin suggested, and Junhong nodded in agreement. “Once we know how it’s haunting you again, then we can figure out how to help you, does that sound good?” He asked. 

Sangyeon just nodded and sat down on the chair, while Junhong and Eric placed the modules on his forehead and wrists. Hyunjoon took it upon himself to examine Sangyeon by muttering a spell. “What’s that?” Changmin noticed a helmet-like device on one end of the room. 

“That,” Junhong took the device from the table. “Is the upgraded version of the headpiece Kevin made for Sangyeon during the Bermuda mission,” He explained. “It keeps his consciousness intact.” 

“And that parasite who keeps coming for him under control” Kevin added, checking the monitors. “Just try and relax, hyung, relax” He said to the telepath, who lay back while he put the helmet on. 

“If the worst should happen, then we might have to go into the astral plane for you” Hyunjoon suggested. “Again, for some of us here” He glanced at Sunwoo, who looked uncomfortable. 

“What’s it like in the astral plane? What is the astral plane?” Jaehwan was confused. 

“It’s a space between fantasy and reality, the border that separates what’s real and what isn’t, kind of like the Danger Room” Hyunjoon explained. 

“It’s like a very, very, very, vivid dream,” Sunwoo tried to explain as well. “But you kind of do more there, find out what happens there, it’s like looking at the real world through something far out.” 

“Do we all have to go in there?” Chanyeol asked curiously. 

“If we need to, Sangyeon might need all of us in there” Hyuk said, noticing what was displayed on the monitors. The beeping coming from the device grew louder, and Sangyeon looked worried. He tried to read the younger boy’s mind, trying to see what was going on along with what the device was picking up. 

Sangyeon tried his best to relax despite what everyone was saying. “What’s going to happen to us while we’re in there?” Jaehyun asked. “In where Hyunjoon was saying?” 

“At the most, find the source of the problem, we might have to look into his memories, all of those things” Hyunjoon explained. 

The rest of them looked confused, except for Sunwoo. “We’re not going to get hurt in that astral plane, right? The asylum was bad enough” Eric suddenly spoke. He hated remembering that time in his life where everyone nearly died, where he had to witness Jaehyun dying even if he was back now. 

“It depends on how far we go, but it’ll do something to Sangyeon hyung’s memories, I think” Kevin explained. 

“My-my memories? What do you mean? You mean I won’t remember anything?” He asked. 

“We can only find out when we get there, I’m afraid” Junhong said with a slight frown. He turned to the rest of them. “Kevin and I will keep Sangyeon here. In the meantime, we need to gather everyone together and think of what to do” He suggested. 

“We’ll see you upstairs in Ino hyung’s study then” Chanyeol said, and they left the room. 

~ 

The rest of the boys entered the study, quickly making themselves comfortable on the chairs and on the carpeted floor. Chanyeol, Hyuk, Jaehwan, and Mirae stood in front of them, the door closing behind Jacob, who flew in from the giant window that closed by itself. “We’re all here now, I guess we can start” Hyuk said. 

“What’s going on?” Haknyeon asked. 

“Sangyeon may be haunted by that thing that tried to possess him before, that same thing Hyunjoon was telling me that made itself known to us during the Bermuda Mission” Hyuk explained. It made everyone gape at them, and Younghoon seemed to tighten his hold on Mirae’s hand. 

“But-but how? Didn’t we kill it before?” Jacob asked. 

“We thought we did, but it seems like it’s trying to get at Sangyeon again, and we have to do something to keep that from happening” Chanyeol replied. “Hyunjoon said that we might have to go into the astral plane.” 

Haknyeon and Jacob’s faces fell upon the mention of the place. “That place is weird, and I mean weird, like everything’s upside down” Haknyeon said. “You know, the first time we went there, we went into a maze, and it suddenly changed and Sunwoo and I found ourselves in a desert, running away from a big wave of water, we thought we were going to drown” He recalled. 

“Like a very vivid dream” Jaehwan glanced at Sunwoo, having finally understood what he meant. “Well, we can’t all be in there, Junhong would be alone” he said. “Who knows what could happen out here too.” 

“Jaehwan’s right, I think it’s best if not everyone goes in there” Mirae nodded in agreement. “Especially if whatever’s in Sangyeon’s head comes out here, then we’re sitting ducks.” 

“But what else could hurt us out here?” Eric asked. 

“That’s the thing, there’s that possibility of it happening too, like what happened to us” Changmin looked over at the younger boy. “Remember? When we got back from the asylum?” 

“The parasite can be in two places at once” Hyunjoon recalled. He turned back to the four eldest people in the room. “How do you suggest we divide ourselves?” He asked. He was getting a bad feeling about what was happening to Sangyeon again. 

“The ones who are capable of being in there, and the ones who can protect this place out here” Chanyeol said, picking up on what Jaehwan said. 

“I will go in,” Hyuk raised a hand. “So will Kevin, Hyunjoon, Jaehwan,” He glanced at the tracker, who looked a little flustered at the sudden mention of his name, but nodded. “Chanhee, Sunwoo, you too” He said to the younger boy. “And… Haknyeon. That would make eight of us in there.” 

“We’ll be out here to keep guard” Mirae assured him. The mood in the room became very ominous, and as they had agreed to their plan, they left the room.

As the door closed behind them, all the lights in the place had shut off, a red light coming from the emergency light coming on instead. “I think, it’s safe to say we need to go in there” Jaehwan muttered. 

~ 

Sangyeon was standing in a very familiar place, something he hadn’t been in for a while. He stared at the dark, glittering sand at his feet, and at the darkness that was in the distance and at the swirling hues of pink and green in the dark sky. He was back in the astral plane. He was struck with fear and worry, anticipating what could be waiting for him if he took another step. 

“Sangyeon, my child” He heard the familiar whisper that made him shudder. The telepath stood still and looked around him. Out of the blue, a bald, middle-aged man wearing round sunglasses, a purple pinstripe suit, and a top hat appeared, holding a cane. 

The voice was familiar, but the man’s appearance had changed. “You were gone, we killed you” He managed to say. 

The man shook his head. “Death and the afterlife, one of the biggest mysteries life has to offer,” His voice was cold, almost snakelike, and with a thick accent. “You think the one in the Bermuda triangle was me? No, my child, it wasn’t, but I’m glad I now have your attention.” 

“As do my friends, you’ve got their attention too, who are you and what do you want with me?” Sangyeon said. 

“What I want, is something I know you can’t give me easily” The man said. “I am, the Shadow Man, your true guardian, who simply tried to make you realize the things you can do with all the power you have” He took a step closer, almost urging Sangyeon. 

“I am aware of the power I have, and now I want you to leave me be, for good, I don’t want to see you again” Sangyeon said. 

The Shadow Man shook his head. “You do not understand. If I leave you, I will be a soul without a body.” 

“And you think I care?” He asked, his defenses building up inside him. “You’ve managed to get away from me for two years, I think you can do it again.” 

“My child, it isn’t that simple-” He said. 

“Of course it’s that simple” Sangyeon cut him off. “Having you around only causes destruction, death, of innocent people including my friends. If you are away, then you won’t cause harm, to us and to the rest of the world.” 

The Shadow Man took another step closer, making him step back, but as he took another step back, their surroundings had changed. The two of them were in the middle of what looked like a very dry deserted area, with one lone table and two chairs set around it. “Will you really allow your true guardian to be out there? A soul without a body?” 

Sangyeon felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Something about the Shadow Man made him feel unsure about his decision, but he knew he needed to stand his ground. “What have you ever done for me? Aside from making my life a living hell? Making me into a monster because of what I can do?” 

“You of all people should know the responsibility that comes with simply being who you are,” The Shadow Man gestured for him to sit. “Why don’t we have a peaceful conversation, at least before your friends arrive?” 

The chair slid towards the telepath and he sat down, sliding back towards the table while the Shadow Man sat on the other. The two of them were facing each other. “They will arrive, and they will want to kill you” He said. 

“Only if you want them to” The Shadow Man replied and put his cane down on the table. “What is so wrong with your guardian living on inside you? Isn’t that what you mortals refer to people when they die?” He asked. “How that saying would go, that the ones you care about the most don’t leave after death, but they remain in your heart forever?” 

“I don’t care about you” Sangyeon said. 

“ _ Au contraire _ , Lee Sangyeon,” The Shadow Man said to him. “I can tell you are having second thoughts?” 

Sangyeon shook his head. “No, I’m still thinking about it. They should kill you, like they did the first time.” 

The Shadow Man laughed, a cold laugh that sent a shiver down his spine. “I just told you one moment ago, that wasn’t me in the Bermuda Triangle, it wasn’t me who sent your friends on, what did they call it? Suicide missions” He recalled. “I wasn’t the one who sent your friends on a sham of a quest, but I did make myself known to them the first time they touched your memories…” 

“How?” Sangyeon was becoming more intrigued, but he kept reminding himself that this wasn’t it. The Shadow Man was the enemy, and he was trying to figure out how to get rid of him. 

“That is a question I may not be able to answer” The Shadow Man replied, and cackled so loudly it echoed throughout the land. 

His answer made Sangyeon frustrated. He had an urge to grab him by the collar and beat him up, but he kept himself from doing so. “You are despicable.” 

“My child, it is high time you learn once again that not everything can be handed to you on a silver platter” The Shadow Man explained, leaning on the table. Sangyeon could tell his eyes seemed to be boring into him. 

“But like you said, with all the power I have, I can practically  _ make _ you hand it over to me” The telepath pointed out. “Whether you like it or not, I can make you give me what I want” He added. 

“How selfish of you, I at least have taught you that much while you were growing up,” The Shadow Man said. “We’re sharing one body, one mind right now, and yet you’re behaving like a spoiled child.” 

“You are not my guardian,” Sangyeon said stiffly. “You have not been, are not, and will never be my guardian, you do not measure up to my actual parents who raised me, gave birth to me, who cared for me until I became an adult.” 

The Shadow Man’s expression stiffened. “You disappoint me, Sangyeon.” 

“Good to know. I aim to disappoint.” 

He stood up. “There is always room for improvement” And he placed his hand on the nape of Sangyeon’s neck and the surroundings changed. Sangyeon felt like he was being sucked into something and the hold the Shadow Man had on him was strong. 

~ 

The entire group pressed on as they wandered through the hallway that was now bathed in red light. “Junhong and Kevin” Mirae suddenly said. “Something might’ve happened to them.” 

“Something’s going on in the lab, we might as well run” Chanyeol said, and they rushed down the stairs and into the lab, where they saw the two, looking at all the controls on the panels. They seemed to be panicking. Sangyeon was shaking in the chair, eyes closed and there was a loud beeping coming from the machines. 

“Yeah, we definitely need to go into the astral plane to find him” Jaehwan nodded, feeling more convinced about his idea. “Sangyeon, Sangyeon” He called out, in an attempt to wake the psychic up. 

Younghoon took off his gloves and approached the telepath, but Kevin shook his head upon seeing him. “Don’t. If you touch him and he’s still wearing that, something might happen to him” He said. 

“Like what? He looks like he’s having convulsions!” Mirae pointed out. “It might be killing him in there, Younghoon has to wake him up” She added. 

“We can’t” Junhong turned around. He pointed at the monitor. It seemed to indicate where Sangyeon was. “He’s far too deep into the astral plane, taking him out just like that can hurt him more than waking him up.” 

The beeping continued and the machine nearby emitted sparks until it burst into flames. Eric sped towards the fire extinguisher and quickly put out the flames, some of the foam getting onto Sangyeon’s cheek. “It’s overloading” Kevin checked the other monitors again. 

“Alright, Kevin, you have to come with us into the astral plane” Hyuk spoke. “All of us who are going, let’s stay in here, the rest of you stay back” He gestured for some of them to come inside, the group dividing right away. 

“Junhong hyung, do you have that serum thing you used on us the first time?” Haknyeon asked. 

“Yes I do” The older boy pointed to the cupboard in the corner of the room. “You’ve got 30 minutes, and 30 minutes only to try and do what you can. If you can’t get out of there after those minutes, Hyunjoon will take over” He said. “I hope you guys know what you’re going to do” He muttered, taking several packets of syringes and filling each one with the familiar clear serum. 

“I hope we know that too” Jaehwan took his place on one of the chairs. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” He looked over at Sangyeon again, who seemed to be unconscious, lying still. 

“It just means we weren’t thorough the first time” Hyuk said, sitting down on another chair. 

As everyone else took their places and sat back, Junhong bent down to inject the serum into them. “You should all be in the same place” He said, injecting the serum into Hyuk first, and then to Jaehwan with slight difficulty, and then to the rest. 

“I can’t believe we’re going back there” Sunwoo said with a sigh. “Who knows what else we’ll find in Sangyeon hyung’s head.” 

“That’s the idea, isn’t it?” Hyunjoon commented. 

Haknyeon frowned, while Chanhee and Kevin looked nervous. “Oh yeah, I just remembered, we could be in there for days..” He muttered. 

“Days?!” Chanhee gasped insurprise. 

“Days. The Bermuda mission had us in there for days” Hyunjoon repeated. “But we can’t be too sure.” 

“Yeah, who knows how long we’ll be in there” Kevin tried to stay positive, but his faltering tone seemed to say otherwise. 

“This is like being in the Matrix or something” Chanyeol muttered as they watched them. “Good luck to all of you” He said. 

“Let’s just hope we solve this quickly, maybe before Ino hyung comes back” Jaehyun said quietly. He waved at the younger boys, who waved back, while Junhong injected the serum into the rest of them. 

“See you on the other side” Kevin said quietly. 

One by one, their eyes closed, and the view of the lab in Summerland was no more. Jaehwan felt like he was being sucked into some portal, another dimension, and in seconds, he was on black, glittering, ground. Hyuk was already standing, as was Kevin. A smoke-like figure suddenly appeared and Haknyeon materialized, nearly falling over on Sunwoo, who had also fallen over. Chanhee and Hyunjoon appeared as well. He got up on his feet and brushed the sand off of his jeans. 

Hyuk looked at the place they were in. “So this is the astral plane” He said. 

Kevin looked amazed. “Wow. It’s like a black, sparkly, inky, desert mixed with aurora borealis” He looked up at the sky. “It’s not even hot, but it’s not freezing either” He raised a hand to feel a slight wind. “This is fascinating” He smiled. 

“Only you would be happy to look at something like this, hyung” Haknyeon said. 

“So, how do we get to Sangyeon?” Jaehwan suddenly asked, trying to get everyone to focus on what they had to do. He was partly worried about how long they would be in there, but at the same time, he was amazed being in such a place. He thought he’d seen it all, but this was something else to him. 

“If we’re going into Sangyeon’s memories, then the same places should pop up, right?” Hyuk deduced, as they began to walk into the darkness that seemed to cover the other end of where they were standing. 

“Probably” Hyunjoon agreed. “But then that might mean-” 

He was cut off when tall walls crept up behind and all around them. Sunwoo fell through one of the hedges in time to stick to everyone. “Yeah, this is probably what we should expect when we go into Sangyeon hyung’s head” Haknyeon helped the younger boy to his feet. 

“I didn’t think I would be scared, but I am terrified” Jaehwan muttered, looking up at the hedges that surrounded them. “We don’t even know what this maze would have at the end” He said. 

“Sangyeon hyung’s memories seem to be locked away, like there are things he wouldn’t want people to find, it’s probably why he’s built these hedges and walls in his mind” Hyunjoon said. “Ino hyung sort of helped him keep everything under control.” 

“Then I hope Ino hyung did not do anything to get us in trouble in here” Hyuk said, leading the way. He didn’t know where to go, and he could only rely on his instincts. “Jaehwan, you might as well try and see where we’ll wind up going” He said to the tracker. 

Jaehwan nodded and touched the sandy ground. He tried to see if Sangyeon had been to this place last. He couldn’t see anything. He looked up at the older boy and shook his head. “I don’t know if my powers work in a place like this or something but I can’t see where he went, it’s like he vanished” He said, getting back up. 

“That is the case in here” Hyunjoon nodded. 

“Then… let’s just stick together” Hyuk suggested, and they moved along. 

“If we’re lucky, we might end up at his hometown, where he lives or something” Haknyeon muttered. 

“How far back did you go the first time?” Kevin asked them. 

“The first time, we ended up at his house, we saw him as a kid, and saw Joowon the Bad Kid, the character he keeps mentioning? The dog he used to have was never really there, it’s like the demon or whatever it is, has a stronger hold on him than we thought” Hyunjoon explained as they walked. 

“And then we ended up at his high school, during one of his moments where he used his powers” Sunwoo added. 

“But Jongdae and Jinri noona said they also ended up at a facility somewhere, saw people that looked like us with their teeth chattering, and she and Jacob got chased down by some creep” Hyuk recalled one of their conversations before. “But that might be a different place then, unless…” 

“...Unless Sangyeon was actually placed in a mental institution before?” Kevin seemed to have picked up on what the telekinetic said. “It’s possible when his telepathic abilities manifested, he probably couldn’t control the voices he was hearing and his family… interned him in there for being crazy?” 

“If that’s true, then Sangyeon hyung has had it harder than any of us” Chanhee said quietly, a hint of sadness in his voice. 

“With powers like his, I don’t think anyone wouldn’t have gone crazy,” Jaehwan said. “It’s amazing how he’s managed to stay as collected as he seems” and they nodded in agreement. They kept walking down the path Hyuk was leading them, unaware that there was something following them. 


	3. Chapter 3

The monitor in the lab continuously beeped, showing everyone the vital signs of those who went into the astral plane. Junhong, Chanyeol, and Mirae were watching them as well, standing by the door of the lab. “Ino oppa shouldn’t have left” Mirae muttered, glancing at the monitors. “Alone, Sangyeon’s too strong for all of us.” 

“I’m not sure that’s true” Junhong tried to remain optimistic. 

“She’s right though,” Chanyeol said. “Sangyeon is too strong. He nearly drowned us during the Bermuda mission, when that thing invaded his head again” He pointed out. “He could kill us all, including everyone else.” 

“But he didn’t, right?” Junhong insisted. “Sangyeon’s still in there, he’s trying to fight this too along with the rest of us. It’s our job to protect him so he can do that.” 

The two of them nodded. “Sangyeon’s a good person, he would never harm anyone on purpose,” Mirae nodded. She stood up straight. “I think I’ll spar in the gym now. Let me know if anything comes up, hmm?” She glanced at him and Chanyeol before walking off. 

Chanyeol suddenly followed her, slowing down once he caught up. “You’re already thinking of a plan, aren’t you?” He asked, studying her expression. 

“A plan of defense against what might come at us out here?” Mirae glanced at him. “Maybe, but I’m mostly thinking of something else, unrelated to this whole mission, whatever this is” She assured him. 

“Yeah? Does it have to do with Younghoon? Jinri noona did say not to engage in a lot of PDA while they’re away” Chanyeol teased. 

She laughed and shook her head. “Have you… ever thought about getting married? I mean, you and Sungyoung, have you two, talked about the future of your relationship or something?” She asked. 

Chanyeol looked at her, a little surprised at the kind of question she asked. He had never really known her to be someone who asked a lot about someone else’s personal life. He knew that she wasn’t one to pry, but this time, he felt like something was a little different from the fact that she was asking him questions like this all of a sudden. “Well.. now you got me thinking about talking to her about that” He chuckled. “Did you and Younghoon talk about it while you were on vacation?” 

Mirae nodded. “But we agreed that we’re in no rush, you know? With everything that’s going on, the last thing we’re thinking of is getting married. I like how things are going right now, Younghoon and I like how things are going on right now” She shrugged. 

The fire-bender smiled. “That is true. Both of you already act like a married couple already anyway. He comes over in the middle of the night because he knows you have trouble sleeping, you two used to kind of live together, you know what you both like and don’t like, you two really have a good thing going,” He pointed out, giving her a knowing look. “So what’s gotten you thinking?” 

“Nothing, nothing, it’s made me realize that I never expected to experience that kind of thing, the whole relationship thing, I mean, I had Jihoon, I had a home, a job, I didn’t need anything else after what I’ve been through” Mirae shrugged. “But Younghoon came into my life all of a sudden and I feel very lucky. Especially after what we talked about while we were away, made me realize just how lucky I am to have him…” She added, smiling at the thought. 

“It doesn’t take a mind-reader to know that you and Younghoon are really good together, I mean everyone can see it,” Chanyeol said. “It makes me think of how lucky I am to have Sungyoung too” He looked down in thought, remembering the last thing he said to her before coming back to Summerland.  _ I’ll always come back to you _ , he recalled internally. “I know she worries about me doing stuff like this all the time since I told her, but she’s always been there for me, from the moment we met until now.” 

“I think everyone would worry knowing that this is what we do a lot” Mirae said, and he nodded. 

“Our powers just turned our whole world upside down, and now so much has changed, it’s not just the four of us anymore, it’s all of us in here, in this place” Chanyeol looked up at the ceilings, that were still bathed in a red light. “There are more of us now than ever.” 

“You are right. Let’s go to the others, they’ll be wondering what to do” Mirae pulled him along. 

~ 

Younghoon, Jaehyun, and Juyeon poured themselves glasses of water in the cafeteria and sat down at the booth seats by the window. “So, are you any good at fighting now?” Jaehyun asked Juyeon. 

“I can say I’m learning a lot more now, and doing a lot more now. We just haven’t been sparring as much lately because I’ve got work at Chanyeol hyung’s restaurant” Juyeon explained, looking a little pleased with himself at the realization. 

The slightly older boy looked impressed. “I kind of wish I could learn how to fight too, or at least use the Danger Room a little bit more. Maybe we could do that today while we’re waiting” He suggested. 

“I don’t see why not” Younghoon nodded, looking out the window for a sign of his girlfriend or Chanyeol. “Where’s Jacob?” He asked, taking another glance out the window. 

“Flying outside. Junhong hyung and Ino hyung built him a little tower thing. That’s where he hangs out now” Jaehyun replied. Since coming back from helping Hyuk in solving his case, Jacob had been spending more and more time outside rather than indoors, flying around and getting himself used to being in the air for long periods of time and in higher altitudes. Hyunjoon would turn him invisible in case whenever he flew past Summerland, only for the invisibility to wear off after an hour, making him fly at a lower height. 

“That reminds me, I think I should practice flying too” Younghoon shrugged. He was always a little embarrassed when it came to flying. As he didn’t need to learn how to do hand-to-hand combat like Juyeon due to his strength, he felt that his other abilities would need more practice and not just his strength. 

“Maybe you should do that Superman pose” Juyeon teased, making them laugh. 

“Or the Iron Man pose” Jaehyun teased as well. He smiled at his two friends. “What’s it like? Being out there? When I mean out there, I mean, just doing what you all do?” He asked. It was something he was always been curious about ever since he found out they left. It was making him think about his staying in Summerland. 

“It’s okay?” Younghoon replied, unsure if it was the answer he wanted. “We live next door from Mirae, it’s just like being here, only we do everything on our own, like cooking or having things cleaned, and the building we all live in isn’t secluded like this.” 

“All of you live together?” Jaehyun asked. 

“Well not all of us… Hyuk hyung, Jaehwan hyung, Chanyeol hyung, they all have their own homes to go to. We moved in the apartment next door to Mirae and Jihoon” Younghoon explained. 

Juyeon seemed to sense what the older boy was thinking. “Are you considering...leaving Summerland?” He asked. 

Jaehyun shrugged. “I don’t know. I like it here, I like it a lot, especially the Danger Room, and knowing that there’s food whenever I want. But maybe I just feel a little too safe in here, I guess.” 

“This is a place where we all felt safe, you know” Younghoon pointed out, and the two of them nodded. “Even if Sangyeon hyung’s powers are acting up, we still felt safe because we were away from everyone else. We couldn’t hurt anyone.” 

“That’s true” They muttered. 

“Mirae noona, Chanyeol hyung, Hyuk hyung, Jaehwan hyung, they’re all used to being outside, they’re all used to living there in the city, they already feel safe there even with the danger,” Juyeon pointed out as well. “We don’t get to train our powers as much out there, not like in here.” 

“But wouldn’t your training be the real thing?” Jaehyun asked. “You guys get to deal with actual criminals, or people who actually do or did something bad, you guys get to live out what might be present in the Danger Room” He explained, and the more he pointed it out, the more intrigued he was getting. 

Younghoon and Juyeon exchanged looks, falling into slight nods at what he said. He had a point, and they never really realized it until Jaehyun said it. While they weren’t as protected as they were out in the city, the training they did wasn’t in the form of simulations, but rather the real thing. Their cases were their training. The Kang family mob, the Sharks, both of those made them better at controlling and using their powers. “You’re starting to sound convinced that you should leave Summerland and stay in the city too” Younghoon said carefully. 

“Maybe, but I don’t know, it might be cabin fever. I’ve been staying here for so long, and I never got to go with any one of you guys to help on cases,” Jaehyun said, a hint of frustration in his voice. “Almost everyone else got to leave for a bit, I just feel a little left out of the loop because almost everyone else got to talk about what they did with either one of you or something and as much as I want to relate, I can’t because I know what they experienced is nothing like how I’d imagine it to be, nothing like what the Danger Room can do” He explained, looking at his untouched glass. 

“You know, it’s not all like that. You experienced the Bermuda mission too” Younghoon pointed out. 

“But what else? I died in there” Jaehyun pointed out, frustration even more evident in his tone. 

“Maybe you should talk to Hyuk hyung or Mirae noona, ask if you can leave along with us too. You could stay with us if you want, or the extra place across the hall from her apartment” Juyeon suggested. He completely understood the older boy’s sentiments. He sensed that it was probably what Sunwoo and Eric were also feeling, knowing that nearly everyone else, Kevin and Sangyeon included with the latter being the very first one, got to leave and lend a hand in cases for the agency except them. 

Younghoon knew that feeling all too well as well. While he mentally debated a possible reason why Jaehyun never got to go out, he also understood why he’d feel left out when almost everyone from them were able to leave for a few days and nights. “If you’re sure, you can leave with us when all this is over” He said. 

That seemed to make his same-age friend feel a little better. “Thanks” He said. 

“You do know the reason why I left, right?” Younghoon asked. 

“At this point? Who doesn’t know the reason why” Jaehyun replied. “All that’s left is you getting down on one knee and proposing” He joked. 

Juyeon and Younghoon exchanged looks. “It’s funny you should mention that, because while you and Mirae noona were in the Danger Room, that thing kind of came up while we were watching” Juyeon grinned.

“Eyy! I thought we dropped that earlier!” Younghoon said, getting flustered. 

Jaehyun laughed out loud at his friend’s reaction. “Are you serious?!” He said. 

“I told you! And I’m telling you,” Younghoon gave the two of them looks. “Not now! Maybe a few years from now, we’re not in a rush!” He explained, cheeks turning pink. 

Juyeon and Jaehyun laughed loudly in their seats. “Well, you have a point, but I’m not going to say I’m not surprised if you two have been together for a long time and still aren’t getting married either” Jaehyun laughed even more. 

“We’ve talked about that, while we were on vacation, alright?” Younghoon said. He wasn’t sure if he could reveal the other reason why they weren’t in a rush, not even to his best friends. It was a very personal reason that he felt must stay between the two of them, or at least until she was ready to talk about it. He felt that not even Hyuk, Chanyeol, nor Jaehwan even knew about it, the only other person who would likely have an idea was Jihoon, and even then he wasn’t sure. “We like how things are right now, and with Sangyeon hyung’s telepathy going off again, that’s the last thing we’re planning to do.” 

The doors suddenly opened and Eric and Changmin went inside. “Hey, the three of you, Chanyeol hyung and Mirae noona are at the other training room, Jacob hyung’s already there, let’s go” The metal-bender said, and like a reflex, the three of them rushed out, following the two up the stairs. 

~ 

The five of them stepped inside the room, which was now filled with pistols along with bows, arrows and crossbows. The other side of the room had a basket of baseballs, golf balls, and tennis balls as well as ceramic busts and targets. Chanyeol and Mirae stood by, looking especially pleased with the setup. Jacob however, looked just as confused as the rest of them. 

“Are we doing target practice?” Changmin asked, looking even more excited as he tried to figure out why they were there. 

“Yeah, we are” Chanyeol nodded. 

“I realized that while not everyone needs to learn how to do hand to hand combat like Juyeon and I, knowing how to use some weapons can give you an edge, and also because I feel like I should at least teach the rest of you something” She glanced at Younghoon, and he smiled appreciatively. He knew what she meant. 

“We’ve prepared all those things for you, with Junhong’s help, and I thought you could all practice your aim and get used to carrying those kinds of things because, you never know” Chanyeol shrugged. “First, pick a weapon.” 

The six of them looked at the table in front. “Whichever one you feel you’re comfortable with. The pistols have sleeper rounds instead of actual bullets, so you won’t kill anyone in here, don’t worry” Mirae explained, watching them pick out something from the table. “Remember, it won’t matter what you’re using, you yourselves are the weapon.” 

She paused upon hearing what came out of her mouth. It was what Miran would say to her. Chanyeol glanced at her. “You alright?” he muttered. 

“Mhmm, I’m fine” Mirae snapped out of her thoughts, and looked back at the rest of them. “I’m fine, Younghoon” she said with a small smile, noticing his worried expression. “So, let’s begin. We’ll start with these targets first” She brought forward the sheets of paper that had a drawing of an outline of a person. “Preferably, the middle, the person’s left, the stomach, and the head are the critical points. Those who picked the pistols can go first.” 

Changmin stepped up, along with Jaehyun and Eric. “This isn’t a time to be cool, so do what you can to aim properly,” Chanyeol said. “No cheating, no round curving or something” He eyed Changmin, who laughed. “Alright, let’s start!” 

Jaehyun, Changmin, and Eric held up the pistols with both hands. “Don’t think too hard, just pull the trigger. More often than not, people get trigger happy outside” Mirae advised. 

The three of them pulled the trigger and clouds of smoke appeared on the very end. Chanyeol and Mirae covered their noses in time for it to hit the targets, leaving marks on the sheets. Jaehyun was closest to the head, while Changmin and Eric shot at the shoulders. “Not bad for a first try” Chanyeol nodded. “You can probably practice this to the side, so Juyeon, Jacob, and Younghoon can try shooting next too” He gestured for the three younger boys to step up. 

“Jacob you might not need a bow and arrow, your end feathers seem sharp enough to pierce” Mirae said, noticing the silvery feathers lining the bottom of his wings. 

“Okay, I was thinking of that too” He nodded and stood facing the wall, making sure his right wing was across from the target display. 

Without another word, Younghoon suddenly shot the arrow he had, making the rest stop and stare. He hit the target square on the head. He looked amazed, and so did Mirae. “All of you try that again” Chanyeol said, giving Mirae an impressed look, while she smiled. 

All of them went back to practicing again. Younghoon shot another arrow, and to his surprise, it went through the previous arrow he shot and into the target once again. “I don’t know if it’s my strength but…” He looked at Chanyeol and Mirae, unable to contain the happiness he was feeling about hitting the target spot on. 

“It’s partly your strength, but I guess you just naturally know how to shoot” Mirae said. She looked at Chanyeol. “That’s my man” She said with a chuckle, making the fire-bender cringe and jokingly nudge her, pretending to be disgusted. Younghoon was beaming with pride and went back to practicing, hitting a bullseye one after the other. 

Jacob tried to focus, and shifted his body slightly, releasing some of the metal feathers. The feathers managed to pierce near the target. Juyeon shot a few arrows as well, all of which hit the target in a line, making Changmin, Eric, and Jaehyun stop and watch them. “Have you two done this before?” Chanyeol looked incredibly impressed. 

Juyeon and Younghoon just laughed, and tried shooting more arrows onto the targets. Younghoon was becoming even more amazed at what he could do. “You two practiced those at the training room back home, didn’t you?” Mirae raised a brow at them. 

“We’ve never touched any of those bows and weapons, I swear” Juyeon immediately replied. 

“I’m with you almost all the time, you think you wouldn’t know if I was practicing?” Younghoon raised a brow at her, and laughed. “Morning until night, we’re together because I also help out at your store?” He added, grinning. 

“That’s true, but you could’ve sneaked out, I’m not a psychic” Mirae playfully argued. 

~ 

In the astral plane, the eight of them continued walking through the maze. “How long until we reach wherever we have to be?” Jaehwan asked, looking at all the hedges that surrounded them. 

“I don’t know, could be right away, could be a while” Hyunjoon looked up at the sky and at the hedges. 

“It took us days in here during the Bermuda mission” Haknyeon spoke. “Time flies and amazingly, I didn’t get hungry while we were in here” He said. “You kind of won’t feel hunger whenever you’re in here… unless it’s strong enough to get you out…” He muttered. 

Jaehwan looked even more nervous. “Then I hope Sangyeon shows us something, anything.” 

Just as he said it, their surroundings had changed. They were in a street in the city. They were faced with a little boy, who was about nine years of age and bore a slight resemblance to the psychic they knew. Next to the boy was a woman, and they were standing in front of the entrance of a condominium building. “Sangyeon?” Hyuk muttered, watching the boy, who looked a little shy. 

“Sangyeon, this is where your father lives,” The woman told the boy. “He’s preparing to leave right now.” 

A vehicle that looked like an ambulance arrived. “Is something going to happen?” Chanhee whispered. 

“I think so” Kevin whispered back. He crept around to look at the vehicle and saw the words “Twin Peaks Sanitarium” labeled on the sides. He stepped back as the back doors opened, revealing two large men in hospital scrubs step out, holding a straitjacket. He had a feeling he knew who that jacket was for yet he couldn’t be too sure. 

Hyuk on the other hand, read his thoughts, and he turned to the younger boy. “I have the same kind of feeling too, only I don’t want to be sure” He muttered. 

They heard a screaming coming from the entrances of the building. “Please!  _ Umma! Appa! _ Don’t send me away!” They heard a girl, and the doors opened. The two large men were escorting a teenage girl, crying and pleading, trying to get away but was easily overpowered. “Don’t send me away!” 

The woman and the younger Sangyeon stepped back, a little baffled by what they saw. Another man appeared, holding his luggage and were followed by a couple, who were crying. The man went up to the woman and hugged them. “I’m sorry, Mirae, I’m really sorry, but we can’t have a daughter like you...” The couple were telling the girl. They turned to the two men. “Take her away… I’ve sent in my recommendation for her treatment, the highest volts of electroshock therapy should be good to cure her” The couple’s expressions changed, and they could see they were slightly relieved. 

“Yes, Dr. Lee” The men said, and the doors closed, the van driving away. 

“ _ Appa _ , who was that?” Sangyeon suddenly asked. 

“The neighbor’s daughter,” The man replied. “She’s not right in the head, Sangyeon. That’s what happens when the parents can’t help her anymore” He explained. “Come, let’s go home.” 

“Did she do something bad?” Sangyeon asked curiously. 

“It’s…” His father hesitated for a moment. “It’s a lot more complicated than that, Sangyeon. You might not understand. When you’re older, maybe we can talk about it, hmm? Let’s go for some ice cream” He said, holding Sangyeon’s other hand. 

“What if I could understand?” Sangyeon suddenly asked this time. 

His mother smiled. “If you could, then you should know I’ll still be here, we’ll still be here for you. Some parents, like them,” She tilted her head towards the couple at the back, who were now looking even more relieved as they went back inside the building. “Just aren’t as nice. They lack love in their hearts.” 

“Come on, let’s not trouble him with things like that. Let’s get ice cream” His father insisted, and they happily got inside a taxi. 

The eight of them looked shocked at the sudden revelation. Kevin and Hyuk seemed to be relieved. “At least we know they’re not related,” The telekinetic said. “But Sangyeon, he must’ve seen something else… why else would he show us this?” He looked around. 

“Maybe he never really was in this memory,” Kevin suggested with a shrug. “Maybe, when he took out that trigger in Mirae noona’s head, he ended up absorbing some memories of hers?” He said. 

“Maybe, but there is still that possibility that the two of them really have crossed paths as early as this” Hyunjoon pointed out. “Either way, I wonder why Sangyeon hyung showed us this… I wonder if he’s purposely showing us this at all...” He paused to think. 

“I think there’s an answer, look” Jaehwan pointed back at the three. 

“Joowon the bad kid, Joowon the bad kid, watch out or you’ll be like Joowon the bad kid~” The young Sangyeon was singing, almost skipping as they walked towards a taxi that stopped in front of them. “Joowon the bad kid, Joowon the bad kid, bad people will turn into Joowon the bad kid~” 

“I have a feeling that song is not good?” Jaehwan turned to the rest of them. “Why’s he singing about a bad kid?” 

“You’re telling me, I’m getting goosebumps” Chanhee rubbed his arms. 

“I hate that song, I hate Joowon the bad kid” Sunwoo grimaced upon remembering. 

“Who is Joowon the bad kid?” Jaehwan and Hyuk looked confused. 

“Sangyeon hyung told me it’s a story that his father read to him as a child,” Kevin explained, recalling the conversation. “Joowon the bad kid set his parents on fire because he played with matches, things like that. But the thing is, there wasn’t a Joowon the bad kid at all, Joowon is the form that demon we faced in the Bermuda triangle took in his consciousness, but now we can’t be too sure anymore” He finished, looking uneasy. 

“Where next?” Haknyeon asked this time. 

“We just keep walking, see where this is leading us, there really must be something else in this memory of Sangyeon” Hyuk said. Knowing that the younger boy had already been singing about a character like that at a young age wasn’t enough to convince him that there wasn’t anything important to this memory that revealed itself to them. 

There was a loud crash, and it alerted all of them to run towards the source of the sound. A taxi had overturned. Police cars and an ambulance came into view. “I have a bad feeling about this” Sunwoo said. He had a feeling he knew who was in the car. 

“A little boy, three adults” One of the policemen said to the emergency rescue team, who carefully opened the doors of the overturned car. 

“Sangyeon?” Kevin watched them with a nervous expression on his face. 

Three people were laid out on the side of the road, followed by the little boy. It was Sangyeon, his parents, and the driver. “Only the kid is alive, but he needs to be taken to the hospital, urgently before we lose him too” Another policeman said, while the emergency team carried him onto a stretcher. 

“S-Sangyeon hyung... “ Hyunjoon was in disbelief. 

Hyuk looked back at the street they came from, seeing the entrance of the building where Mirae lived as a child, where she was taken away. “I think this was important, what we saw earlier… because it led to this. Could his powers have manifested by the time he saw Mirae get taken away?” He pondered, looking back at the accident in front of them. 

They saw the young Sangyeon being carried away in a stretcher and Hyuk could suddenly hear his thoughts as he was lifted into the ambulance. 

_ Joowon the bad kid _

_ Joowon the bad kid _

_ Joowon the bad kid _

_ Don’t hurt me, Joowon the bad kid _

_ I’m not like you, Joowon the bad kid _

_ I can control this, Joowon the bad kid _

_ Help me, Joowon the bad kid _

Hyuk felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and a chill down his spine. They watched the ambulance drive away. “Sangyeon caused the accident... “ He muttered, making the seven stare at him. “Killed his parents… and then what?” He was trying to piece everything together so far. 

“Could it be that the thing that’s in his head right now, drove him insane enough to use his telepathy into causing an accident?” Jaehwan deduced. 

“That is exactly what happened” Hyuk nodded. 

“If there is anything I know, it’s that there are a lot of things Sangyeon hyung has never told us about himself” Sunwoo said, and they all nodded. 

“A trauma like that is bound to affect him psychologically, if my theory is correct,” Kevin said. “This might be when his powers manifested for the first time to it’s near-full extent, Sangyeon hyung doesn’t know how powerful he is yet, but he’s powerful enough to save himself from an accident the demon seems to have driven him into causing” He explained. 

“Kevin hyung, you are a genius” Haknyeon grinned. 

“If anything,” Hyunjoon picked up on what the older boy said. “This was when he might be interned as no one is bound to take care of him, if they knew what he was…” He said. 

“Maybe Sangyeon hyung even buried this memory of his parents’ death, and we’re the ones digging it up” The shapeshifter spoke. 

“I think it’s all of those things,” Sunwoo nodded. “But then his school days don’t seem to make any sense…” He added. “Remember that time in the cafeteria? Sangyeon hyung caused the vending machine to break when he saw the girl he liked arguing with her boyfriend?” He recalled, turning to Haknyeon and Hyunjoon. 

“Sangyeon hyung was taken care of by his aunt and uncle, it’s the only way he’s able to go to school still” Kevin pointed out. 

“Does this mean we have to follow Sangyeon in this memory from now on?” Jaehwan asked. 

“Not necessarily, we just… go down this rabbit hole for now and hope something different turns up” Hyunjoon shrugged. 

Jaehwan watched the ambulance, feeling his mutant abilities take over as he could suddenly see the route the vehicle was taking, even hearing faint voices coming from inside. Hyuk seemed to have picked up the same thing, hearing the thoughts of the medics that were in the vehicle attending to Sangyeon. 

“His vitals are stable, but we still need to check for any internal injuries” 

_ He should’ve been dead, but he survived a crash like that  _

“Does he have any identification on him?”

“We’ll have to check when he’s more conscious” 

_ It’s heartbreaking to tell him he’s now an orphan if he ever wakes up _

Jaehwan and Hyuk exchanged looks. “So what now? Where do we go?” Sunwoo asked. 

“I think there are more answers at the hospital he’s in” The older boy replied. “But as this is a memory, he might not even remember what happened after this.” 

“You mean he must’ve forgotten about this?” Haknyeon asked, eyes wide. 

“Maybe, or he might’ve buried it” Jaehwan shrugged. He remembered it happening to a friend of his, who seemed to bury their grief over their parents dying. “Held it in. He might snap eventually.” 

“It’s going to be scary if Sangyeon hyung does snap…” Sunwoo muttered. 

Just then, the surroundings shifted, and a shadow was cast over their heads, enveloping them in a space that Sunwoo, Haknyeon, and Hyunjoon were very familiar of. They were inside a house. Sangyeon’s childhood home. “We’re back” Haknyeon said with a worried tone. He turned to Sunwoo. “Try not to lean against anything” He advised. 

“I’m staying put” Sunwoo assured the older boy. 

“Okay, so what do we find here?” Hyuk asked, looking at the pictures on the walls. It was Sangyeon’s family pictures. Him, his parents, and what looked like a boy who had jet-black hair, looking very ominously into the camera that took the photo. Next to them was a beagle, a dog. He took a closer look, seeing the yellow letters offset against the navy blue collar the beagle had. 

Shadow. The name of the beagle was Shadow. 

“What did you find?” Jaehwan went up to the telekinetic, looking at the picture as well. 

“If you see a dog next to him, that’s not real, that’s the one who tried to possess hyung” Hyunjoon said quietly. 

Hyuk turned around and showed them the photo. “I don’t think the dog is the only thing that shouldn’t be in this photo” He said, feeling chills down his spine the more he thought about it. 

“What else?” Kevin looked closely as well, noticing the other boy. “Oh… I think I know what you mean,” He said. “But it doesn’t make sense, does it mean that whatever is haunting Sangyeon hyung now, was also trying to take control of him then?” He asked. “That would mean two forces trying to fight each other for control, that’s the only logical explanation.” 

“How in the world is Sangyeon hyung this powerful yet this vulnerable at the same time?” Chanhee was puzzled by the fact. 

“That is what we’re here to figure out, right?” Sunwoo said. 

~ 

Sangyeon and the Shadow Man caught each other in headlocks. They were inside a dome that seemed to be made out of very sheer material, as if they were inside some organ or his brain. The Shadow Man was laughing while Sangyeon tried his hardest to suffocate the demon. He was angry, frustrated, at both himself and at the man. “Do you really have it in your heart to kill me?” The Shadow Man sputtered, looking up at him with his beady eyes. 

“Right here? Yes I do” Sangyeon groaned, but was quickly overpowered as he was the one in the headlock this time. 

“You know the memories you’re showing your friends, bringing them into, do you ever feel it coming back?” The Shadow Man hissed, his voice ice cold. “Lee Sangyeon, the boy I’ve watched over since he was a baby, before that disgusting demon from the depths of hell tried to take you as his own… just like what he did to your friend Hyunjoon five years later…” 

“You’re just as bad as he is” Sangyeon coughed. “Maybe even worse. Get out of my head” He said. 

“But my boy, I’ve made quite a home for myself within you” The Shadow Man replied. “I am still weak outside.” 

“Oh really?” Sangyeon sucker punched him, taking control once again. 

“Yes, but your magically-inclined friend seemed to have conquered my physical form. He hexed me back into the astral plane” The Shadow Man explained. 

“Good” The telepath pointed out. 

The Shadow Man’s face stiffened and he threw Sangyeon off, flying several feet onto an empty space. “I have protected you from harm! I have taken care of you! This is how you repay me!” He exclaimed, approaching the telepath. 

“Because you are nothing but a parasite!” Sangyeon yelled angrily. “You have taken control of my life! Of my powers! You have brought all of this onto me! You hurt everyone I love!” He said. 

“Your birth parents never understood how much power you have and they never would even if you tried! How much untapped potential you still hold inside you! I can bring that out of you! I can show you what you should be!“ The Shadow Man bellowed back. “You think your friends can do that for you?!” 

“I should be someone who uses their powers for good! You are nothing but a parasite sucking the life out of me” The telepath glared at him. 

“Very well,” The Shadow Man muttered through gritted teeth. “Then I wonder what your friends outside the astral plane are going to think.” 

Sangyeon stared at him. “If you ever dare to touch them, I will kill you in whichever form you take” He said. 

“We will see about that, my child” and the The shadow Man replied, and then vanished in a puff of smoke. 

He yelled and screamed into the void in frustration. He had been defeated by him the first time, he was determined to win this time. Sangyeon looked down at his feet, and then where he was. He looked up at what was happening to Hyuk, to Hyunjoon, to the ones who came in this place looking for him. “There must be something I can do, there really must be something I can do” He kept telling himself as he began walking down the space, hoping that something came up or appeared within the darkness that was ahead. 

His surroundings changed. He was inside a room lit with neon lights of every color, blinking one after the other. In the midst of the blinking lights were screens, seemingly showing videos of him as a child. Sangyeon figured that this was a room that showed him his memories. He wondered how this kind of room existed in his mind, and if it had always been there unlike the room he was in with The Shadow Man a few moments ago. 

There was one screen that made him stop and stare. It was what happened during his childhood, the car accident, the accident he unknowingly caused, was driven into causing. Sangyeon couldn’t remember how it happened, or why, but all that came to him was simply because his parents wouldn’t stop talking about what happened to someone he saw, someone he watched. 

Sangyeon looked away, not wanting to see it anymore, but then he heard familiar voices coming in from another screen. He turned around, seeing the video of his childhood home, where he and his brother lived with their aunt. But this time, he saw Hyuk, he saw Hyunjoon, Kevin, Sunwoo, Haknyeon, Chanhee, and Jaehwan. The seven of them were roaming around the house, stopping every now and then to look at the photos. 

He frowned, and turned to look around. “Where are you, parasite?” He muttered, closing his eyes as the surroundings changed again. 

He was in the busy district of the city. People were hustling and bustling past the array of shops and cafes. Sangyeon knew the Shadow Man was lurking around here somewhere. “If you’ve got friends from the other side, better get out with it now” He said quietly. “If you think you can stay in here, sucking the life out of me, you have another thing coming.” 

“If you want me,” An old man passing by suddenly said to him, in that familiar hissing voice. 

“Come find me” A little girl spoke as she passed by him as well. 

Sangyeon kept walking, figuring that all these voices must be leading him somewhere. “Your destiny will be shown to you” A couple said to him. 

“My destiny is in my control” He said. 

“That’s what you think” A middle-aged woman stopped in front of him. “You think you are in control, look at how vulnerable you are, how open your mind is, like an open wound. Open wounds can be entered” and the woman walked away. 

Sangyeon turned around to follow the woman. “When a finger is pointing up to the sky, only the fool looks at the finger” A teenage boy told him. 

He groaned in frustration. “I’m not going to sit by and allow you to remain within me any further” He whispered. As he kept walking, he noticed a familiar figure standing in the distance. It was Hyejung, looking slightly disheveled and wearing a dress that seemed to be covered in patches of dirt. She looked like she had been through an accident, like a building collapsed, covering her in dust. Sangyeon ran up to her. “Hyejung? Noona?” He said. 

She remained silent, and he could see tears fall down the sides of her face. She reached out for his hand and he held it, squeezing it as if to check if it was real. Sangyeon took another step forward, but she pulled her hand back. “Help” She mouthed, and disappeared. 

“No!!” Sangyeon yelled from the top of his lungs, and was soon getting enveloped in a swirl of smoke and colors. 


	4. Chapter 4

Jaehwan, Hyuk, Kevin, Sunwoo, Haknyeon, Hyunjoon, and Chanhee found themselves in the hospital where the young Sangyeon was admitted. They stood outside the emergency room, glancing at what was happening from the small window. “So, Sangyeon caused that accident that killed his parents, and he was undoubtedly possessed by then,” Jaehwan tried to piece everything together. “So, why did he bring us here? Does Sangyeon want us to do something this early?” He asked them. 

“If I may,” Kevin raised a hand. “This could mean we can find Sangyeon, the Sangyeon that we know.” 

“While in here?” Chanhee raised a brow. “What do you mean?” 

“It seems like being in the astral plane is also somewhat making us travel back in time, through his memories. Sangyeon hyung is definitely in here, so all we have to do is find him and tell him to…” Kevin trailed off, unsure. 

“So we’re dealing with the concept of time travel” Hyuk pointed out. “You’re saying we need to travel back in time?” He glanced at the blue boy. 

“In a way, but I don’t think any of us can do that” Kevin shrugged. 

“I know someone who can do that, bend time to their own will and stuff,” The telekinetic muttered. “Well, I knew someone who could do that, I don’t know where he is, or if he’s even alive.” 

“...Was it one of the people you were with in the Seoul attack?” Haknyeon asked. 

Hyuk nodded. “Yeah. A lot of them would really know what to do in a situation like this, come to think about it…” He observed the doctors checking on the child. 

Jaehwan looked on as well, noticing one doctor who looked on from behind the crowd. There was something different about the man, from the way he was staring at the young boy. The crowd of doctors left, leaving the man alone with the unconscious child. He leaned closer, as if to try and hear what he was saying. 

“You’re a very special boy, my heart weeps for the fate of your parents” He said, in a tone that sent shivers up Jaehwan’s spine. He sounded so...evil, so sinister, as if he would kill the boy if no one was looking. “It had to happen, they don’t know what you’re capable of, my son, I do. The world will know, the world will know that there is a god among us…” And Jaehwan saw a twinkle in his eyes as he touched the part of Sangyeon’s face that had a small cut. 

The cut lit up, and the man smiled a very evil smile. 

“Oh my god...” Jaehwan rubbed his arms, making the rest of them stare at him. “That man, that doctor with Sangyeon right now, that might be who we’re looking for” He said. 

The rest of them looked on, Kevin nearly bursting through the room. They could see Sangyeon toss and turn, the monitor next to him beeping non-stop as if his body was going into shock. The doctors and nurses immediately gathered around the boy. 

The ground began to shake, some of the medical equipment falling over with the staff running around to keep everything intact. “Sangyeon’s having a nightmare!” Kevin panicked. 

Hyuk tried to keep everything intact as well from where he stood, but the tremors grew stronger, all of them falling over as bottles burst, glass was shattered. “We’re out of time!” He realized. 

The telekinetic’s eyes shot open, so did the rest of them. They were back in the lab, panting as if out of breath. Junhong was staring at them, looking a little confused. “Right on time, 30 minutes” He said, glancing at the clock. 

“Okay, I see why you said it was like a very vivid dream” Jaehwan muttered to Sunwoo. 

“Did you all find anything?” Junhong asked them. 

“We uh, we found some important memories of Sangyeon’s, but we can’t be too sure unless he wakes up. We need to ask him ourselves” Kevin said, glancing at the older boy, who was still lying in the chair. 

“Like what?” Junhong said. 

“Well, for starters…” Chanhee began, a little reluctant. “He may have caused the accident that killed his parents. The demon thing-” 

“The demon thing possessed him that early as a kid,” Kevin continued. “Before the accident, we actually saw a memory that was tied to Mirae noona. He watched her get taken away by the sanitarium people out of the building his father lived.” 

“He was also singing that song about the bad kid” Jaehwan chimed in. “My guess is, he buried those memories of his parents getting killed, probably why we ended up in that.” 

“We’re not even sure if that memory was real or something,” Hyunjoon shrugged. “But we need to go back in there to find out more, like why did he bring Jacob hyung and Jinri noona into a mental institution the first time.” 

Junhong glanced at Sangyeon and then at the monitor he was attached to. “You mean to say there’s nothing much else we can do unless we try and time travel?” 

The rest of them, except Kevin, looked surprised. “That’s exactly what I said. But we don’t have that power, none of us do,” the blue boy replied. 

“There has to be a way for Sangyeon to get better, to get that thing out of his head somehow. But what can we do?” Hyuk asked. “Maybe we need to find whatever that thing is. We know he was possessed as a child, we know he caused the deaths of his parents, we also know he busted up that vending machine in a fit of rage against the boyfriend of the girl he liked back in school, we also know that it wasn’t that thing that led us to the Bermuda mission…” He tried to piece everything together. 

“Can’t we wake Sangyeon up?” Jaehwan asked. 

“It’s too dangerous, he’s already too far into the astral plane for us to take him out of it. He needs to wake up on his own” Hyunjoon shook his head. 

“How long could that take? Days too?” Chanhee asked. 

“Possibly. By that time Ino hyung would be back” Hyunjoon replied. 

Hyuk and Jaehwan sighed. “So much for babysitting, huh” The tracker commented with a nervous chuckle. 

“Okay, why don’t we all take a moment, a break or something, we’ll get back to Sangyeon as soon as we can. I still need to make the serum again for all of you to go back in there” Junhong suggested. “Take a shower, eat some food, whatever you need to do to relax for a bit. We’ll probably be able to think clearer after that, okay?” He said. 

“Where are the others?” Hyunjoon asked this time. 

“They’re in the manual training room. Mirae and Chanyeol are teaching the others to use weapons in case something happens out here” Junhong replied, looking back at the monitor. He looked back at them. “Let’s take a break for a bit. You’ve all obviously gone through some strain while in there, take a break before we figure out our next move” He reminded them. 

“The thing is, we don’t have much time…” Hyuk shook his head. 

“Hyunjoon and I will do some research in Ino hyung’s office, see if there’s anything useful” Kevin said. “We’ll let you all know what we can find, if we can find it in there, that is” He frowned slightly, feeling a little pessimistic at the thought. A disk appeared from under his and Hyunjoon’s feet and they got on, the disk vanishing along with them. 

“I’ll get something to eat, I’m kind of hungry” Haknyeon rubbed his stomach. He sighed as he glanced at the older boy lying on the chair. “He nearly died before trying to fight that demon inside of him, what if he can’t this time?” 

~ 

Sangyeon was at a beach. He was staring at the sea. He knew this wasn’t real, that this was some sort of place he might have brought himself to while looking for the Shadow Man. And yet, he felt the wind hit his face, his feet sinking into the sand that was seeping between his toes. There was always something about the ocean, and he wasn’t sure if it was because of the Bermuda mission, but he felt drawn to the water. To Sangyeon, it was as if the beach was the place where it was peaceful, where he felt at peace even though he had no reason to be at the moment. 

He suddenly heard the sounds of children laughing, and he looked over. Sangyeon saw two little boys, pulling a woman that he could only assume was their mother. They were running towards the shore, watching the waves pull up only to run away when the water nearly touched their feet. The mother was setting down a beach mat and a small umbrella. “Hyung!!” the smaller boy called out to the bigger one, who seemed to be rushing towards the water. “Hyung!! Be careful!!” he called out. 

It was then that Sangyeon realized who they were. He was the little boy, calling out to his brother, and the woman that was with them was their aunt. His aunt, who looked much younger. It made him realize how he barely remembered them anymore, how he barely contacted them ever since he entered Summerland a few years ago. He wondered what they were up to now. 

Sangyeon looked back at the view of the sky and the ocean. He heard a ruffling and he could suddenly hear his aunt’s thoughts. “The old man and the sea” She was reading a book. Sangyeon remembered reading that book out of the blue back in high school. It was about an old fisherman and a large marlin. 

“He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish. In the first forty days a boy had been with him. But after forty days without a fish the boy’s parents had told him that the old man was now definitely and finally salao, which is the worst form of unlucky,” He could hear his aunt read in her thoughts. 

He was the old man, and the Shadow Man was the fish, Sangyeon thought. “Hey you” He suddenly heard a familiar voice. Hyejung had appeared, and she stood next to him. “Going down memory lane?” 

He couldn’t speak. He wasn’t sure if she was real or if she was just a figment of his imagination. “Are you real?” He blurted out, glancing at her. 

“Of course I am, silly,” She smiled, and he felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest with how relieved he was feeling. “I’m as real as you want me to be, you can call me your rational mind.” 

His heart sunk a little, but he felt better knowing that he wasn’t entirely alone. “I don’t know what to do. I’m trying to find him, but no matter where I search in my head, he’s not there, the thing that’s been inside me all along, he never left, he was just...hiding.” 

Hyejung rested her head on his shoulder. “And you don’t have much time, unless you want to wait for Ino to come back” She mumbled. 

“Exactly. Do you know what to do?” Sangyeon asked. 

“Of course I know what to do, but you have to figure it out for yourself, you know. You’re a lot smarter than you realize. Think of how you charmed me when we first met” She said. 

Sangyeon glanced at her. “How I charmed you? How?” 

She nodded. “In Ino’s office, we were looking through books and you were reading one to me, the way you were reading was so nice. The Old Man and the Sea was the title of the story.” 

He smiled upon remembering. “Of course. It’s one of my favorite books. Or at least it’s a story I’ve read years ago and I found it in Ino hyung’s office.” 

“Why did we have to break up? Why did we have to suffer the same fate as Jinri and Jacob did?” Hyejung suddenly frowned. 

“I-I don’t know. My mind keeps getting in the way,” Sangyeon managed to reply. “But Jinri and Jacob are back together, you know.” 

“I know” She nodded slightly. “And they’re a lot happier. Must be the mission they went on.” 

“Do you think we should’ve gone on one too?” He asked. 

“This is the one, Sangyeon,” Hyejung said. “But if it’s not meant to be, then so be it” She leaned in to whisper in his ear. “You can get out of it, I know you can. There will be clues along the way” 

But before Sangyeon could look at her, she disappeared. He sighed in frustration as he looked on at the two boys playing in the water, the small waves hitting them. There will be clues along the way? What did Hyejung mean by that? And why wouldn’t she tell him? Why couldn’t he read her thoughts? 

He closed his eyes and tried to think, breathing deeply to clear his thoughts. But as he opened his eyes, he was brought to a different place. He wasn’t at the beach anymore, but he was at his childhood home, the place he lived before he left. Sangyeon noticed the furniture and decorations and stopped when he saw the calendar. He was back in time. Sangyeon heard the clinking of silverware and the sounds of people eating from the dining room, and he rushed to see them. 

It was his aunt and uncle, along with his brother. All of them were eating quietly around a low dining table. Sangyeon realized what was on the table. His favorite food. “It was a long day at school, wasn’t it, Sangyeon?” His uncle asked him. 

“Yes” The boy replied. “I was playing with my friends, they lost a game of marbles with me. I already knew what they were going to do.” 

“Silly” His aunt chuckled. 

He was reminded of what Hyejung told him. There are clues wherever he went. He stepped back and looked around. “If you do anything to Hyejung while she’s all the way away in Zurich, I’ll kill you” He grumbled as he stopped upon the sets of framed photos. 

“And you still dare to challenge me” He heard the Shadow Man’s voice. 

“Why wouldn’t I? I want you out. My body, my powers do not belong to you” Sangyeon said. “You did tell me no one has any idea of what I’m capable of. You might as well see how much power I have.” 

The Shadow Man cackled. “So naive, Sangyeon. I already know how much power you have. You can bring about destruction, and I can can guide you to use your powers like you’ve never thought to imagine.” 

“Sorry, but no” Sangyeon said. “Show yourself, face me like a man.” 

The surroundings changed. Sangyeon was in an apartment. It wasn’t the place he lived in before he went to Summerland, and yet it looked incredibly familiar, like the place his brother eventually lived after both of them moved out. The photos on the refrigerator seemed to confirm his hunch. He was in his brother’s apartment, and he heard the door open. “Finally I’ll be able to catch that new movie on Netflix” His brother appeared, holding a bag of groceries to place on the counter. 

“Hyung” Sangyeon muttered, but he knew he couldn’t hear him. 

His brother’s phone was ringing and he picked up right away. “Hello? What is it now? I’m sorry I can’t lend you any money at the moment, I’m still having trouble paying rent I- I know, I haven’t been able to call him- I know, I know, he’s just out there, and the least he could do is send some money if he’s even working- Yes, yes, I know-” 

All of a sudden, the Shadow Man appeared. “I’m afraid Sangyeon won’t be able to do all those things you asked.” 

“No! Don’t you dare lay a hand on him!” Sangyeon yelled. 

But it was too late. His brother was screaming, as if in excruciating pain as the Shadow Man began to break him down, as if getting consumed by dust and blood. The Shadow Man then turned to the telepath. “Haven’t you learned? I’ve possessed you, you are under my control” He said. “I wonder what your friends outside are doing? Maybe I should pay them a visit” The Shadow Man mused. 

“No!” Sangyeon shouted, staring at the scene in horror, His brother was gone, just like that. He felt anger, rage, and pain all bubbling and burning up inside him. He stared at the Shadow Man, and all the lights in the apartment began to flicker and the bulbs burst. The objects all around the room were spinning into a cyclone of material, making its way towards the Shadow Man, who was laughing maniacally. 

“I need to teach you a lesson” The Shadow Man said, and a coffin appeared out of nowhere. Sangyeon resisted, and the two were soon engaged in a psychic tug of war. “What could your friends be doing now, Sangyeon? While you are fighting me here? Who is helping them?” 

“You touch my friends and I swear I’ll kill you” Sangyeon threatened. 

The Shadow Man smirked and the coffin opened. “You need to go on a time out” He said, sending Sangyeon inside with a stronger psychic attack, the coffin closing itself shut. “I’ll need your body, as I don’t have mine” and the coffin vanished. 

The Shadow Man disappeared from the scene, the body of Sangyeon’s brother materializing in its lifeless form. 

~

More lights shut down in Summerland, making everyone look up, including the manual training rooms and the rest of the place. “What just happened?” Chanyeol said, holding up a flaming hand to light up the room. Soon after, they were bathed in a red light, and sirens began to ring. “Uh oh, Kevin told me this was for emergencies” Jacob said, as all of them looked up. 

“Bring the weapons if you can” Mirae advised, and they left the room but upon stepping out, their surroundings had changed. 

They were standing in the middle of a desert, but the sky was laden with stars and the ground they were standing on was rocky. “Okay then, where are we? None of you can teleport, right?” Chanyeol looked over at the rest of them, and they shook their heads. 

“I don’t think we’re in Korea anymore, the ground, the mountains, it’s all...red” Juyeon moved the little pebbles aside with one foot. “And the sky, it’s...not like something you’d see back home” He said. 

“The air feels different too” Jacob said, taking off for a moment. 

“We weren’t in the Danger Room, right? Then why are we someplace else?” Changmin looked around. He tried to see if he could move the ground, but only the pebbles and small bits of rubble were shifting. 

Younghoon immediately stood next to Mirae, who was looking into the distance. Jacob landed and looked up. “I don’t think we’re in Korea, I don’t think we’re on Earth at all” He said, making the rest of them stare at him. 

“What do you mean, like we’re in another planet?” Eric gaped at the older boy. 

“I think that’s what he meant, but this place feels oddly familiar” Mirae muttered. 

“How is it familiar?” Chanyeol glanced at her. 

“Look” Mirae pointed to the distance, and they could see a glinting of gold somewhat moving towards them. Black figures were behind what looked like shields, and they were holding spears and wearing what looked like some type of golden armor. The closer they got, the more Mirae could make out the details. 

The fire-bender gaped at what they were seeing, marching towards them. “Okay, now I see why you said this place feels familiar” He said. “We’re back.” 

“Back? What do you mean back?” The rest of them were confused. 

“Goblins” Mirae said. “Our weapons are not enough, but our powers might be.” 

“Stand at the ready, everyone” Chanyeol looked over at the rest of them as they stood in a line. 

Some of the goblins broke into a run and Jaehyun stood by to fire at them in time, Juyeon quickly transforming into his metal form and Younghoon and Jacob took to the air, while Eric quickly dodged any spear that was thrown towards them. Chanyeol turned into his fire form and took to the air as well, trying to knock through the crowd with flames. Mirae’s eyes and fingertips glowed and her staff extended. 

She followed Chanyeol through the crowd, killing every creature she was faced with on all sides. Plunging her staff into the ground, the energy she put out sent shockwaves, knocking over a big portion of the army, but they soon found more goblins running their way. 

Changmin turned their spears against a group, piercing through each one while shooting others with the remaining rounds in his pistol. Juyeon knocked over a dozen goblins out, throwing others off him, making them hit the rocks and boulders. 

Younghoon and Jacob shot at a few other dozen creatures. Once Younghoon ran out of arrows, he landed and knocked several others out with the bow, picking up the arrows he used to stab a few more, some blood hitting his face. 

Juyeon quickly threw the herd of goblins coming his way, some of their claws only creating sparks when it hit his arms and face. He used his strength while in his metal form to punch them out of the way, even dismembering some, the blood splattered on his face but quickly trickling down. 

Jacob used his wings to shoot through a huge portion and even threw some who were jumping towards him off and into the other bounders and rocks. He shot at some who continued throwing themselves towards him. His wings were strong enough to throw others off. From the height he was in, he could see flashes of red lights, sparks of energy in the ground, and splatters of blood and fire in nearly all parts of the place they were in and a fast, blurry figure moving through the crowd that he knew was Eric. 

It was the eight of them against what seemed like hundreds of goblins. They were outnumbered, and yet they were able to take them on. 

Chanyeol clapped his hands and sent a line of fire towards the oncoming group of goblin soldiers, setting them ablaze. This was just like the war they engaged in during the Seoul attack. He sent what looked like blades of fire towards some that were attacking him on both sides, slicing them in half and some of the blood hitting him but dissolving. 

“How do we stop this?!” Jaehyun yelled, sending a powerful optic blast to the sky, where some were jumping down from the tops of hills and towards him. 

“Mirae! Finish them now!” Chanyeol called out. “The rest of you, retreat!” He said. Eric quickly brought them away. 

“I’m not leaving Mirae!” Younghoon said. 

“Lift me up!” Mirae told him, and she held on to him as they took to the air again. Her eyes were glowing brighter than ever as she was spinning her staff as fast as she could. Younghoon dropped her and she landed in the middle of the army, plunging her staff into the ground once again. 

A very powerful shockwave struck along with a cloud of rust-colored smoke, knocking the rest of them off their feet and making them fall over. The epicenter of the shock formed a giant crack, and the entire goblin army fell through. Younghoon flew towards the center for a sign of Mirae, who was already at the edge, having run fast enough to avoid falling in. The glow in her eyes and fingertips disappeared and she had dust and some blood on her face and clothes. It was then Younghoon noticed that all of them, except Chanyeol, were just as dirty and slightly bloody from the encounter. “So...that was practice then?” Eric fixed his hair and Juyeon turned back into his normal form. 

“You could say that” Chanyeol nodded, in a daze from what just happened. “One moment we’re back in Summerland, the next we’re out here.” 

Their surroundings changed again, and they were in what looked like a shopping mall. From how everything looked intact, it seemed that they were there just after closing time. “Not to be that guy but I’m already feeling exhausted just by knowing what we might get into in here” Jacob muttered. 

“You’re not alone” Eric said to the older boy. “But the bright side is we’re back in Korea?” 

“Let’s just hope this isn’t real because we’ll be in big trouble if it was” Jaehyun muttered. He suddenly glanced at them. “Wait, didn’t Junhong hyung say Sangyeon hyung had this ability to warp reality?” He asked them. 

“Warp reality? You mean manipulate what’s real and what isn’t?” Chanyeol asked, and he nodded. 

“What if this is Sangyeon hyung? What if he’s doing this to us but it’s not really him, but the thing inside?” Jaehyun replied. 

“Are you saying that demon thing inside him is what’s doing this to us?” Mirae asked. 

“Something like that, why else would we be in a place like this and in another place earlier?” Jaehyun asked. “The demon thing is using his body and his powers again.” 

“It’s possible, he brought us to the Bermuda triangle island, he could… do something like this” Jacob said. 

“Let’s hope nothing else is in here, then” Eric said.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this” Younghoon looked up. 

“We all do” Mirae held his hand and squeezed it tightly. 

~ 

“They’re not here” Haknyeon stared at the manual training room. 

“What do you mean they’re not here?” Chanhee looked into the room as well. It was empty. “Didn’t Junhong hyung say they were in here?” 

“I heard your thoughts, what’s going on?” Hyuk appeared along with Jaehwan, rushing towards the two younger boys. He peeked into the training room and stared at them. “Where are they?” 

“We don’t know, we were going to see them when we saw the room was empty” Chanhee explained. 

Jaehwan looked inside and felt around the objects. He turned back to them and shook his head. “Nothing. I’m getting nothing. It’s like they vanished.” 

“I can’t feel anything either, I can’t contact them,” Hyuk looked worried. “They’re not in the other rooms either, not even in the Danger Room.” 

“Kevin and Hyunjoon are probably downstairs by now,” Jaehwan said. “Sunwoo’s probably done eating. We should go down and tell them.”

The four of them rushed down to the lab, where they saw Kevin, Hyunjoon, and Sunwoo huddled over what Junhong was doing. “They’re not here” Hyuk said. “And before you ask, yes, we checked every room.” 

“Not here? What do you mean not here? They didn’t leave” Junhong whipped around to them. “I would’ve seen them leave, you mean they just vanished?” 

“Something like that, yes,” Jaehwan nodded. “I couldn’t see where they went, neither could Hyuk see or feel where they went.” 

Junhong looked over at Sangyeon’s unconscious form. “Oh no, what have you done to them…” He muttered. 

“Done? Sangyeon hyung did that? Made them disappear?” Chanhee was in disbelief. 

Kevin closed his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. “Oh god, it is Sangyeon hyung” He said with a pained expression. 

“Can you please explain?” Jaehwan looked worried. “Chanyeol and Mirae disappeared.” 

“Sangyeon hyung has this ability to manipulate a person’s reality, essentially bringing them into another reality altogether, kind of like going into a parallel dimension or place,” Kevin explained. “If we’re not careful, if Sangyeon isn’t careful, we could be next.” 

“Sangyeon brought Mirae and Chanyeol into another reality along with the rest of the guys, he’s using his powers while in this state on us” Hyuk realized.

“Who else was with Chanyeol and Mirae?” Jaehwan asked. 

“Jacob, Younghoon, Juyeon, Jaehyun, Eric, Changmin…” Hyuk muttered. “We should find them before something bad happens to them.” 

“But how are we going to do that? Sangyeon hyung could’ve brought them literally anywhere” Kevin asked. 

“Isn’t there anything we can do? Do we have to find them or can Sangyeon be the only one to bring them back?” Chanhee asked. 

Junhong sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know. Honestly, this is the first time I don’t know what to do. Sangyeon’s powers are almost limitless, if anything, it would take Ino hyung to sort this out” He said. 

“Can we try and get one of him over here then?” Hyuk asked. He sighed in frustration. “I hate this. We can’t even do anything and there’s a lot of us. Half of us are in another dimension and the rest of us are here, Sangyeon can’t wake up… We have to try and wake him up at least” 

“What would happen if we wake Sangyeon up?” Jaehwan asked curiously. 

“It’s possible he might go into shock. It’s almost like waking someone who has been sleepwalking up” Kevin explained carefully. 

“Or worse, we wouldn’t be dealing with Sangyeon, just the thing inside him” Hyunjoon added ominously. “Using his powers and all that. Either way, what Sangyeon needs would basically require us to go back and forth in time and it can be dangerous.” 

“Maybe we don’t need to go back in time,” Haknyeon suddenly said, an idea forming in his head. “Maybe we just need to find Sangyeon again, if he’s the only one who can deal with the thing, we can help him from the inside, from the astral plane. We’ll just need a way to get to Sangyeon, and we’ll fight the thing with him in there” He added. 

They stared at him in surprise. “I feel dumb for not realizing that sooner or at all” the rest of them sighed. 

“Right? And at the same time, once we get to him, we’ll get him to bring the others back!” Chanhee pointed out, and they sighed in relief. 

“I think I’ve learned quite a bit after coming with Hyuk hyung on the cult mission” Haknyeon beamed with pride. 

“Hyung, is the serum ready yet?” Kevin asked Junhong. 

“Not yet, but give me a half-hour and you’ll be able to go back in there” Junhong nodded.

“No, I’ll take us in there. We might need more than 30 minutes” Hyunjoon suggested. 

“Okay then, get yourselves seated so I can monitor everyone properly while you’re in there” Junhong gestured to the benches behind Sangyeon. 

The seven of them sat down on the benches. “Let’s hope we can get this over with by the time Ino hyung and the others come back” Sunwoo sighed as he sat down. 

“How did I get all of us in the astral plane before?” Hyunjoon muttered to himself as he sat back. “Ah, I know. Hyung, watch us closely, some of us might come back earlier,” He added. 

“That could happen?” Sunwoo asked. 

“Yeah, in a way. Remember what happened to you and Haknyeon before?” He asked. “The desert.” 

“Oh right,” Sunwoo nodded and closed his eyes. “Here goes nothing.” 

A disk appeared on the floor. “I hope this works. Sangyeon, here we come” Kevin muttered as he closed his eyes as well. The disk enveloped them and dissolved. In seconds, they were back in the dark space. Jaehwan nearly fell over again after losing his balance and so did the rest of them. 

“Okay, we’re back, where do we go?” Jaehwan asked. 

“Up there” Hyunjoon pointed to something in the distance. Sunwoo and Haknyeon looked at it in familiarity and nodded. “That giant ice cube. That’s where we found Ino hyung when Sangyeon killed them the first time” He explained to Hyuk and Jaehwan, who nodded. 

“This is a bad time for me to say wow, there’s something like this in the astral plane” Kevin looked amazed as they followed Hyunjoon towards the ladder in the middle. They felt a sharp gust of cold wind as they approached the ladder, climbing up towards the hatch that he was surprised was made of ice. 

Hyuk, Jaehwan, Chanhee, and Kevin climbed up and stood aside as the hatch closed itself. They were inside a giant ice cube, with furniture made out of ice but mostly covered with fake fur carpets and drapes. The desk in the corner had thick stacks of books, and Kevin was even more amazed when he saw the fireplace, only it was fake, and pieces of orange cellophane blowing up from a fan in the floor. 

Jaehwan was in disbelief. Just when he thought he saw everything, being in such a place within the astral plane was something he had never seen before. “So, what now?” He asked, partly trying to snap himself out of what he was seeing. “How do we find Sangyeon from here?” 

Hyuk watched them look around and closed his eyes, hoping he could find Sangyeon within this space. He sat down and tried to concentrate. Somehow the Ose cult mission managed to strengthen his telepathy, and he hoped his telepathy would at least be strong enough to find him. 

He could hear a faint pounding of wood.  _ Hyuk hyung? Hyuk hyung? Where are you? _

The telekinetic’s eyes shot open.  _ Sangyeon? Is that you? _

_ Hyung! I need your help! You’re in the astral plane too, right? The Shadow Man! He’s using my powers! He overpowered me somehow! _

The rest of them were staring at Hyuk, who seemed to freeze in his seat. Hyuk kept concentrating.  _ We’re coming for you, but we need to know where you are. _

_ I-I don’t know where I am! He’s kept me in a coffin! I can get out of here, but I don’t know where I am! _ Hyuk heard Sangyeon pounding constantly on the lid of where he was kept. 

_ You have to try. At least point us to the direction of the thing because we’re after him too _ . 

_ He’s using my powers, it’s going to take more than me to kill him, he’s too powerful a psychic. He wants to go back to his body.  _

“It’s the astral plane, you can do anything, Sangyeon,” Hyuk mumbled, but his concentration faded, and so did Sangyeon’s thoughts. He sighed as he looked at the rest of them. 

“You got through to Sangyeon hyung?!” Chanhee was surprised, and the telekinetic nodded.

“Well? What did you find out?” Jaehwan asked. 

“The thing,” Hyuk looked at all of them. “The thing confirms Kevin’s explanations, that the thing is using Sangyeon’s powers on all of us. Whether that means he wants Sangyeon to kill us, I don’t know, but he’s been overpowered somehow, locked Sangyeon up in a coffin or something like it,” He explained. 

“The thing has Sangyeon locked up somewhere?” Kevin looked worried. “In here? In the astral plane?!” 

“But that’s impossible, isn’t it? You can literally do anything in here” Sunwoo was taken aback. 

“Yes. He doesn’t know where he is, but he did say the thing is called The Shadow Man, and that Shadow Man is trying to get back to his original body” Hyuk revealed. 

“So what we can basically do is try and summon that Shadow Man, lure him into a trap or something, kill him before he gets to his original body or maybe after he gets to his original body unless he releases Sangyeon?” Jaehwan deduced. 

“Practically what we have to do. If we can’t go to him, he’ll have to come to us” Hyunjoon said. “And I think I know a way we can do that. We’ll have to let Sangyeon’s memories do the job” He explained. 

Sunwoo gaped and nearly yelled all of a sudden, freezing in his place. “What? What is it?” Haknyeon asked the younger boy. 

“There’s a thing! Behind the ice!” Sunwoo was staring at it in horror before nearly falling over. Hyuk held him still before he could phase through. The rest of them looked at a black form that was becoming more and more defined as it appeared to go closer until it vanished. 

“What was that?” Jaehwan was trying to keep his cool. 

“I think that may be the thing we’re facing” Hyuk muttered. “I guess Sangyeon was right in calling the thing that. Shadow creature. Shadow Man.” 

“I would very much like it if you called me by my name properly” said a voice in the corner. A middle-aged man wearing a purple pinstripe suit, a top hat, and round sunglasses was standing by the fake fire. “You must be Sangyeon’s friends.” 


End file.
